Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said that a total of nine overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who came home from Manila tested positive for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in rapid testing.
The Ilonggo OFWs, mostly seafarers, are among those 234 in the region who were allowed to come home after being stranded in Manila for nearly two months due to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). They arrived yesterday and were quarantined in Iloilo City hotels.
According to Treñas, out of 35 OFWs from Iloilo City, seven of them tested positive for COVID-19. The two others are Guimarasnons.
Treñas quickly pointed out that the rapid test result is not yet conclusive, and these OFWs will still undergo confirmatory test using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) which is the ‘gold standard’.
“While waiting for the results of their PCRs, I am suggesting that we lock down the hotel that accommodated them. We don’t want that this will be the source of additional cases,” Treñas said.
“We coordinated with the manager of the hotel and gave them PPEs and alcohol,” Treñas added.
Treñas also confirmed that the latest confirmed case of COVID-19 in the city is another personnel of Iloilo City Emergency Responders (ICER) from Arevalo district.
“We will also test members of the family because they live in a compound and those in their barangay that has close contact with him and his wife,” Treñas said.
