The Benguet Provincial Health Office has reminded all 13 towns in the province to strictly implement border controls due to the threat of the Omicron variant.
Provincial Health Officer Meliarazon Dulay also urged local government units not to exempt anyone, especially returning overseas workers from completing their mandatory quarantine.
During the provincial Inter-Agency Task Force meeting, the PHO recommended ramping up of border control measures where non-residents are to present negative RT-PCR result or full vaccination card before they are allowed entry into the province.
Individuals without negative RT-PCR results or those unvaccinated or partially vaccinated will also be advised to return to their place of origin.
Non-residents who are allowed entry shall pass by the provincial triage at the temporary treatment and monitoring facility in Wangal, La Trinidad for identification, verification of papers, and coordination with the local government units concerned.
Border checkpoints in Benguet are in Sablan, Tuba, Bokod, Buguias, and Mankayan and are manned by police personnel.
Benguet Police Provincial Office Deputy for Administration Lt/Col. Stephen Antonio requested for a triage area to be set up in Bokod during the PIATF meeting.
Antonio said their personnel at the Bokod checkpoint are accompanying non-residents who have pertinent papers to the central triage in Wangal.
“Hopefully, they will grant our request so it will be less work for our personnel who will only concentrate on the entry of travelers,” Antonio said, adding it takes two hours to reach the central triage area from Bokod.
He said most of those turned away at the border checkpoints are workers and tourists heading to Baguio City who have no proper documents.
Gov. Melchor Diclas said they are now in talks with the police and the local government of Bokod for the setup of a triage, as he acknowledged that it takes time and resources for the police to be ferrying people to the central triage area.
Aside from the border controls, Diclas said TTMFs in the province are on standby. He said the various LGUs were also reminded to activate their isolation facilities with the recent increase of Covid-19 cases in the province.
Asymptomatic and patients with mild symptoms will be admitted at municipal TTMFs while patients with moderate symptoms or in severe and critical conditions will be admitted at the various hospitals.
As of Jan. 5, the province has recorded 25 new cases and two recoveries. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 27, 2024
