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Friday, March 29, 2024

Davao City Offers Free RT-PCR Test For Arriving Passengers At Davao Airport

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Davao City:    Davao City-bound air passengers now have two options when complying with the required 72-hours Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) negative test results imposed by the City Government of Davao.

Here are the options:

  1. Take the RT-PCR test at the airport or place of origin at their own cost.
  2. Take a free RT-PCR test at the Davao International Airport and prepare to wait — inside a holding facility — for the results for 24 hours up to 48 hours.

This came following the meeting between Mayor Inday Sara Duterte and members of the National Task Force for Coronavirus Disease and the Covid 19 Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases Tuesday night.

Last week, Mayor Inday announced that all Davao-bound air passengers will be required to show negative RT PCR test results taken 24 hours to 72 hours before departure.

On Wednesday, she said Davao-bound air passengers may have themselves tested upon arrival at the DIA, for free — but they need to wait, inside a holding area, for 24 hours up to 72 hours.

The free service is offered to utilize the P6 Million Bayanihan Grant allocated for RT-PCR testing for a private Covid-19 facility at the Davao airport.

“As approved during the meeting, the requirement of a negative RT-PCR result taken within 24 to 72 hours from departure date shall not be mandatory upon check-in at the airport of origin but shall be required upon exit at the Davao International Airport (DIA),” Mayor Sara said.

All those who were tested at their places of origin within 24-72 hours of departure date but have not received their result shall not be allowed to exit the Davao airport until their test result is available.

With these new guidelines, the mayor can ensure travellers who enter Davao City are negative of Covid-19.

“We ensure that travellers who enter the city are negative, they just proceed with home quarantine. Dili na sad ta mag gukod sa contact tracing(so we would not go after people for contact tracing) since they do not have close contact,” the mayor said.

In a letter dated July 21 addressed to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade, Mayor Sara also laid a modified set of guidelines for passengers entering Davao Airport.

Mayor Sara also sought the help of DOTr to request airlines to deplane all those with a negative RT-PCR test result first, followed by all those without their RT-PCR test result to ensure a safe and orderly exit out of the airport.

The city government will also accept a negative RT-PCR result taken within 24 to 72 hours from the domestic departure date conducted by a laboratory overseas for an international flight passenger, provided that all results written in a foreign language must have an English translation.

Children 12 years old and below are exempted from the RT-PCR requirement, provided that the accompanying adult passenger has a negative RT-PCR result. CIO

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