The arrival tallies for overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) and Locally Stranded Individuals (LSI) on Thursday morning breached the 1,000 and 2,000 marks, respectively, as Boholanos from across the country continue to arrive in droves.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Anthony Damalerio said that 2,297 LSIs and 1,052 OFWs have arrived in Bohol since the province allowed the entry of returning Boholanos starting late April.

According to Damalerio, the latest batch to arrive included 95 OFWs who were ferried from Cebu to the Tagbilaran City Port early Thursday.

Half of the OFW batch will be quarantined at the Bellevue Resort in Panglao while the other half will be quarantined in the facilities of their respective local government units.

Damalerio said that two doctors sent by the province have been stationed at Pier One at the Cebu City Port, where bulk of the arrivals are coming from, to examine passengers before they board Bohol-bound vessels.

The official assured that stringent protocols are being observed in the quarantine and transport of the arriving Boholanos.

All vehicles including those owned by various LGUS which are used to transport LSI and OFWs are regularly being disinfected while frontliners are advised to only use their disposable protective equipment only within the prescribed number of usage.

“Kung disposable, ideretso g’yud og dispose para dili na magamit. Dunay puy decontamination sa Tagbilaran seaport ug sa atong ubang pantalan. Duna puy lain disinfection sa ilang quarantine facility,” said Damalerio.

Of the over 2,000 returning Boholanos, only one so far tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID) 2019.

The OFW who was asymptomatic throughout his infection tested positive in a confirmatory PCR test while in quarantine at a facility in Tagbilaran City in mid-May.

Over a week after testing positive, he was allowed to go home when he was proven to have recovered when he yielded a negative PCR result. 

Concerns have recently been raised against the return of OFWs and LSIs after the provincial government in accordance with a Department of Interior and Local Government directive allowed local government units (LGU) to choose to let their returning Boholanos undergo home quarantine.

The new policy gave LGUs the option to quarantine their LSIs and OFWs either in hotels, government facilities or houses.

Hotel quarantine however will be paid for by the LSIs and OFWs themselves while LGUs will cover the costs if returning Boholanos will stay in a government facility. (R. Tutas)