An official of the Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) has assured that they have beefed up entry protocols into the province to prevent the passage of individuals using fake COVID-19 test results as virus cases surged in Metro Manila and other urban centers such as the neighboring city of Cebu.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Anthony Damalerio on Wednesday said that focal persons facilitating the entry of returning residents have been directed to always check the authenticity of the test results with the issuing laboratory.
“Atong gihatag na sa tanang focal persons apil ang syudad saTagbilaran ang 237 molecular laboratories accredited by the DOH. Ang mga focal persons manawag sa molecular laboratories to countercheck nga accredited ang mga PCR test na ilang mga gipang submit,” Damalerio said in an interview over station dyRD’s “Inyong Alagad” program.
All persons entering the province are required to submit negative RT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain) results from saliva and nasopharyngeal swab testing as stipulated in Executive Order 17-A.
The tests should be done 72 hours prior to arrival in the province.
Arriving individuals also need to secure a Certificate of Confirmation and Endorsement from the local government unit of their end destination, while the previously mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival has been scrapped.
Damalerio also noted that airlines and shipping companies have been implementing stringent checking protocols for passengers bound for Bohol to ensure that they have all the necessary documents for travel.
Last month, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) collared two men identified as Rogelio Nebres and Rakim Sultan Busara who were allegedly selling fake RT-PCR test results to Bohol-bound passengers in Cebu City.
The apprehension was done through an entrapment operation set after the agency was informed of the illegal operation by San Miguel Mayor Virgilio Mendez who is a former director of the NBI.
Several individuals who bought the fake RT-PCR test results were also apprehended. (R. Tutas)