The continued testing of passengers arriving in Negros Occidental for COVID-19 has effectively reduced the spread of the virus in the province, Zeaphard Caelian, Provincial Disaster Management Program Division head, said today, February 18.
He pointed out that 20 more passengers who arrived by air and sea in Negros Occidental from February 11 to 16 tested positive for COVID-19.
Since they were quarantined and tested as soon as they arrived they were unable to infect people in their hometowns, he said.
The provincial government quarantines all incoming passengers and allows them to return to their communities only after they test negative for COVID-19.
This allows the provincial government to contain positive cases and save government resources that would otherwise be spent on contact tracing and testing of more people, Caelian said.
Of the 20 who tested positive for COVID-19, Caelian said 14 arrived by fastcraft and roll-on-roll-off vessels and six by airplane.
Eighteen were locally stranded individuals and two were Authorized Persons Outside Residence, he said.
Negros Occidental had 70 COVID-19 active cases as of Wednesday, February 17, he added.
The Department of Health reported today that Negros Occidental has 10 new COVID-19 cases and Bacolod City has two.*