ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 1 July) – The situation in the point of origin of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) is the reason the number of confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Lanao del Norte has soared to 27 in the past few days when it was only 13 as of end of last week.
Lyndon Calica, commander of the province’s Incident Management Team, said that while the Lanao del Norte residents are preparing for their documents from their points of origin – like Cebu and Manila – so they can travel back home, they are exposed and thus prone to virus infection until their date of flight or sea voyage.
He said the LSIs and ROFs may not have undergone thorough tests before they are given health certificates.
The province, however, has urged the returning LSIs and ROFs to coordinate with provincial and municipal authorities so they could comply with the necessary requirements and follow health protocols.
“The province has maintained the Modified General Community Quarantine and scrutinize the coordinated arrivals of LSIs and ROFs at the border checkpoints. They are then brought to the Provincial Health Office for the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and swab test will be done if found positive in the RDT for confirmation,” Calica said.
He said that if found positive in the confirmatory reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, the patient will remain confined at the isolation facility at the old Kapatagan Provincial Hospital.
The latest report on Lanao del Norte’s COVID-19 cases, released Wednesday afternoon, said the province now has 27 confirmed cases, excluding the five previous cases who have already recovered. (Richel V. Umel / MindaNews)
