The Province of Negros Occidental through Provincial Administrator, Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, has proposed to the Bacolod City Government to offer free RT-PCR test for inbound travelers to Bacolod, instead of a rapid antigen test (RAT), to ensure everyone’s safety and curb the spread of COVID-19.
The proposal from the capitol came after Mayor Evelio Leonardia wrote Gov. Eugenio Lacson were he suggested that Bacolod-bound passengers were only be required to present a negative antigen result instead of RT-PCR.
But Capitol in a statement said that by removing the RT-PCR there is a high chance that the virus from other provinces can easily spread in Bacolod City and the Province of Negros Occidental because some COVID-infected individuals are asymptomatic.
Diaz further said that he does not agree to the RAT result from the point of origin due to the lack of official document that proves that a passenger from other provinces is nonreactive to RAT.
He instead suggested that a swab test upon arrival at the Bacolod-Silay Airport is a better solution, with Bacolod City subsidizing the cost for Bacolod passengers. Capitol proposes that the city should shoulder half of the expense for RT-PCR test of a Bacolod-bound passenger, similar to how other local government units contribute to the testing expense of their arriving residents.
Leonardia and Lacson are meeting virtually tomorrow, January 28, to discuss this matter.
