POST-TRAVEL quarantine measures for the passengers of the May 6, 2020 Manila to Davao sweeper flight was criticized after a passenger tested positive for Sars-CoV-2, which causes coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The sweeper flight, led and organized by the City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO), had on board more than 200 passengers from Manila who are residents of Davao City and neighboring cities and municipalities.
Most of them had been stranded in Luzon since the early weeks of March when Metro Manila was put on lockdown. Passengers arriving at Francisco Bangoy International Airport underwent rapid testing before they were released home.
On Saturday, May 9, the City Government of Davao released a statement that one of the passengers tested positive.
"One of the passengers failed the health screening and was sent to Southern Philippines Medical Center for swabbing and was later confined in a Covid-19 quarantine center. The RT-PCR test of this individual is confirmed positive," the statement read.
One of the passengers aboard the flight is 27-year-old Ella (not her real name) and her three kids. They were stranded in Manila since March 12 after dropping her partner off at the airport for a flight abroad. Ella and her children were supposed to stay in Paranaque for two days only but weren't allowed to go home to Davao City because of the lockdown in Metro Manila.
For their 10:55 a.m. flight to Davao City, Ella and her kids were already at the airport as early as 4 a.m. Although strict sanitary measures were in place at the airport, Ella noted a particular man who acted rather "suspiciously" and would frequently clear his throat and talk to his seatmates about his friend from Caloocan City who didn't make it to the flight.
After learning that someone from the flight tested positive, Ella thought it was the suspicious man who was seated at 27C. Later, a barangay health officer told them it was the passenger at 37G.
However, CTOO head Generose Tecson, in an online interview denied and said that neither passengers 27C nor 37G tested positive for the virus.
"We contact traced following IATF guidelines na four rows in front and back as well as the co-passengers sa jeepney na naghatid within one and a half hours. Mabilis naman reaction time. And the [positive] patient was not sent home. From the airport nung nag RDT, dinala na sa SPMC for swabbing then dinala na siya sa isolation facility," Tecson added.
The rest of the passengers who tested negative, like Ella and her kids, were sent home and were asked to be under home quarantine for 14 days. Ella is from Davao City.
Other local government units that welcomed residents from this sweeper flight had different isolation measures.
In Davao del Norte, five of their residents were aboard the sweeper flight. Although none of them tested positive, they were all isolated in a quarantine facility managed by the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte in Tagum City. They are expected to stay there for 14 days. In a post by the official Facebook page of the Government of Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte posted Saturday, May 9, they said the Santo Tomas IATF is now conducting an investigation for what they believe is an "apparent breach of Covid-19 protocol."
"The task force learned that a family member made a direct contact with one of the returning residents on May 6 despite the repeated reminders not to breach the protocols," the statement read.
In the same way, two Davao de Oro passengers, who are negative and showing no Covid-19 symptoms, were also isolated and quarantined in one of their barangay isolation units. Two residents of Davao Oriental from the flight are also under strict isolation.
They are now quarantined at the patients under investigation (PUI) center in Baganga.
The Davao del Sur Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Pesu) is also currently tracking down seven residents of Digos City who boarded the sweeper flight.
In the same statement released by the City Government of Davao on the positive patient, they mentioned the indelible ink marks on the finger of all aboard the sweeper flight. "Other people can distinguish these new arrival individuals with the indelible ink on their left index finger. If you see anyone with this mark, please do not go near them for the next 14-21 days," said the statement.
However, this guideline raised an eyebrow for the people online who pointed out that it's not a credible basis as the ink mark does not usually last on the finger for as long as 14-21 days.
Ella said the indelible ink on one of her child's finger is actually starting to fade off just three days after they arrived in Davao City.
