A holding area for arriving passengers with expired Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT PCR) swab test results â and those who failed to have themselves tested â has been established by the Davao City government at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport.
Angel Sumagaysay, the Head of the Public Security and Safety Command Center (PSSCC), said the holding area is for arriving passengers whose negative RT PCR test result has lapsed the 72-hour requirement or failed to get tested at all.
They will be held up to 24 hours at the facility until their results come in.
âGinapaghandaan nato ni siya para sa katong mga pasahero nga mosulod sa Davao City nga walay negative result sa Covid test so didtoa na sila ibutang, i-RT PCR sila and then for the meantime, while waiting sa result, didtoa sila ipahumutang (We prepared this for those passengers arriving in Davao City without negative Covid test. They will undergo RT-PCR testing and then for the meantime while waiting for the result, they will stay there),â Sumagaysay said.
According to Sumagaysay, the holding area, which can cater to up to 50 people, is equipped with folding beds and mattresses for passengers waiting for their test results.
City Health Officer Dr. Josephine Villafuerte said arriving passengers for RT PCR swabbing will need to temporarily stay in the isolation area in order not to expose their families if they turn out positive.
The city government has required Davao-bound passengers to test negative of COVID-19 through RT-PCR before exiting the Davao Airport, starting Wednesday, July 22, after the data from the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit showed that the highest confirmed Covid-19 cases in Davao City were air travelers from Manila and Cebu.
The airport holding area is only one of five (5) holding areas arranged by the city government for arriving passengers in Davao City. CIO
