Davao City shifts to community surveillance vs Covid-19

The Davao City Government has strengthened its community surveillance against the coronavirus disease 2019 as commercial flights resume starting Monday (June 8).

The move came as Davao City Mayor Inday bared that Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) will no longer be conducted on people arriving in the city.

Earlier, Mayor Inday said during one of her interviews over the Davao City Disaster Radio that the city government wrote the national government and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on the plan to conduct health screening on arrival in the city. She also suggested that the same should be done in other airports.

“Nagsulat mi sa DOTR ug sa national level, nagpadala ta og mga suggestions, nag-ingon ta nga diri sa Davao we will prepare testing before departure, so dapat ang tanang airports ang testing nila is before departure. So kung naa tay makuha nga positive sa mga pasahero, dili na siya makasakay,” she said.

Sweeper and mercy flight passengers were later subjected to RDT upon arrival and those that tested positive were sent to the Southern Philippines Medical Center for swab testing.

“Ang atoang Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) Kits gi-pullout na namo sa atoang screening upon arrival because nakita namo nga gamay ra kaayo ang atong makuha. Dili worth it ang atoang investments sa atong mga nakuha,” Mayor Inday said. “Ang atoang gibuhat is i-intensify lang gyud nato ang atoang community surveillance. Ang atoang RDT ginagamit na siya sa atong mga district health offices. Ang doctors na didto ang naga-decide kung kinsa ang i-RDT, ug kung kinsa ang i-PCR Testing.”

City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) head Gene Rose Tecson said that the city will now rely on the health certificate that the flight passengers will present upon boarding their flights to Davao City.