MAYOR BENG Climaco has lauded airport authorities for intercepting at least 23 people with fake RT-PCR test results the past weeks while trying to enter Zamboanga City from Manila.
A Cebu Pacific plane flies over a traffic in Zamboanga City. (Zamboanga Post) |
She said 8 passengers arrived by plane on August 7 and were sent back to Manila the following day; and two more arrived August 8 and were ordered to go back to Manila the next day after the duo - who are natives of Sulu province - spent the night at a local hotel. All those intercepted were also issued citation tickets and fined P5,000 each.
Climaco said at least 23 people had been stopped at the airport the past 2 weeks.
The mayor issued an executive order making it mandatory for all travellers - whether they are fully vaccinated or not - entering Zamboanga to present their negative RT-PCR test result, especially now that there have been hundreds of cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the Covid-19 in the country.
Zamboanga City has recorded one case of Delta
variant after a crewman of a passenger boat who arrived from Sabah was tested
positive last month and had recovered from the deadly respiratory disease.
The Delta variant was first detected in India, but
quickly spread around the world.
The Department of Health reported the presence of Delta variant Davao
region, Northern Mindanao, National Capital Region, Ilocos Region, Central
Luzon and Calabarzon or Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces.
Climaco ordered a strict border control and implementation of the health
protocols in Zamboanga. She said travellers
must have negative Covid-19 test results, whether by Saliva RT-PCR test or
nasopharyngeal RT-PCR test, before they enter Zamboanga.
She
previously issued Executive Order 651-2021 that mandates all inbound
passengers, whether APOR (Authorized Persons Outside Residence) or private
individuals, regardless of reason or purpose of entry, including transit
travellers to present negative RT-PCR test result within 5 days from date of
specimen collection and their valid identification cards before they can enter
Zamboanga City. The mayor said these are temporary measures designed to curb
the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases in order to promote the health and safety of
the general welfare of the citizens.
Zamboanga,
which has a long coastline, is dotted by over two dozen islands and islets
which makes it extremely difficult for security forces to guard. The city is
near the provinces of Basilan, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur and
Zamboanga del Norte. (Zamboanga Post)
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