THE Municipal Government of Hinoba-an is appealing to its returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) to also "sacrifice" in order to protect the town and its people from coronavirus disease (Covid-19), an official said.
Councilor Jason Tupas, action officer of the town's inter-agency task force (IATF), said that based on the new directive of the National IATF, those with negative RT-PCR test in Manila will no longer be subjected to 14-day quarantine by the receiving local government unit (LGU).
Tupas, also the chair of the Municipal Council's committee on health, said this is a frustrating directive as it puts to risk the ROFs, as well as their families and community.
"Remember, our first two positive cases after we have recorded 100 percent recovery are all ROFs," he said, adding that there is a huge possibility that this might be the start of local transmission if returning residents are in their houses and later tested positive of the virus.
Amid the new directive, the local government stressed that it will be better if ROFs will cooperate.
Thus, it is requesting these returning residents for their cooperation and patience.
Tupas said they are urging the ROFs to allow the Municipal Government to consider them as locally stranded individuals (LSIs).
This means that upon arrival at the airport, they will be transported directly to the quarantine facility in Hinoba-an.
It is no longer the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) that will shoulder the hotel accommodation, Tupas said.
ROFs, along with LSIs, will be scheduled for swab test if there is none in the airport.
"We will bring them [ROFs] to their respective houses if their results are negative. They will then be endorsed to the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) for monitoring until they complete the 14-day quarantine period at home," he added.
On August 21, the town announced that all of its 21 confirmed Covid-19 cases have fully recovered. Also, it was able to maintain a zero local transmission case.
But following the resumption of arrival of LSIs and ROFs in the province on August 22, the town now has six new positive cases as of September 1.
Aside from the two ROFs, the patients also included four LSIs.
Tupas is upbeat that the locals will positively respond to their appeal, believing that "returning residents love their families and the town."
In between convenience and safety, they hoped that ROFs would choose the latter amid the prevailing threat of the pandemic.
"Join us in this sacrifice. Do this favor for our frontliners who have been risking their lives and relentlessly fighting for months. They are also tired now," he begged.
Tupas added "do this for your family and community. Do this for the province who is providing all its best to support us. Do this for our small town who has been trying its best to provide."
Moreover, the official is requesting returning residents to inform the LGU of their arrival so it can prepare ahead of time.
They may contact the town's hotline numbers: 09532095359 or 09511410461.
