BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Anticipating the lifting of the travel moratorium for inbound travelers to Western Visayas, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson is requesting returning Negrenses to have themselves swabbed upon entry to Negros Occidental.
The extended travel moratorium to Region 6, including Negros Occidental, ends today.
Lacson said he has not received any word from his fellow Western Visayas officials to request for another extension of the travel moratorium from the National Capital Region and its neighboring provinces, and from Cebu and Davao.
He said the swab tests at the entry points of Negros Occidental remain voluntary.
Lacson also reminded all towns and cities in Negros Occidental, not to approve the S-PaSS if travelers refuse to be swabbed or fail to present a negative RT-PCR test before travel.
The S-PaSS, or Safe, Swift and Smart Passage, is a one-stop online communication and coordination platform for travelers and local government units.
Vice-Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, in his program aired over DYEZ Aksyon Radyo yesterday, said that Negrenses, whose travel to the province had not pushed through because of the moratorium, will be allowed to return home starting April 20, provided they complete the travel requirements.
Ferrer said they will be requested to undergo swab testing, free of charge, upon arrival, and to be placed in a holding area, pending the release of the test result.
Those with negative results will be allowed to go immediately, while those who turned positive for Covid-19 will be brought to quarantine centers, Ferrer said.
As of April 17, Negros Occidental had 2,099 active cases, and has already surpassed its peak of 1,683 Covid cases last year.*
