Davao City has started implementing the Covid-19 “Test and Wait” mechanism for returning Davao City residents, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), and the Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs).
Mayor Inday Sara Duterte on Wednesday said the new testing mechanism will unburden the contact tracing team since the returning residents will not be exposed to more people from their arrival.
Under the “Test and Wait” mechanism the returning Davao City residents will be tested at the private Covid-19 testing laboratory Davao One World Diagnostic Center. Results will be released while waiting in a holding area.
“Meaning pag-abot nila i-test nato [sila] and then ibutang namo sila sa isa ka holding area and mogawas na ang iyahang result then pwede na siya modiretso sa iyang balay for home quarantine (It means that we test them and let them wait in a holding area. When the results come out, they can go home for home quarantine),” Mayor Sara said in a live interview over the Davao City Disaster Radio on Wednesday.
She added that it usually takes a maximum of 14-15 hours of waiting, but it is better than undergoing a 14-day quarantine in designated facilities.
The city government has designated one facility as a holding area for those who are waiting for test results. If the results turn out positive, they will be brought to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).
The mayor said that those who undergo “Test and Wait” are those whose RT-PCR result taken 48 hours of the departure date has expired.
The RT PCR has been required for OFWs, LSIs, and individuals on commercial flights after the city government recorded increased positive cases with a history of exposure from the National Capital Region (NCR) and Cebu.
Before the city implemented the “Test and Wait”, returning Davao City residents are tested upon arrival and immediately sent home for home quarantine or to a quarantine facility if they tested positive. CIO
