4 COVID-positive workers flagged down in Samboan

CEBU, Philippines —  Four construction workers from Barangay Lahug, Cebu City were disallowed from boarding a ferry to Mabinay town in Negros Oriental at the port in Samboan town in southern Cebu Tuesday night after their swab certificates showed they are positive for COVID-19.

Erwin Gamallo, a member of the COVID-19 Task Force in Samboan, said the workers arrived in Samboan via a Rough Rider bus. It was not clear how they were able to still travel to Samboan even with their positive test results.

Gamallo said the workers, who were all exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 , presented their swab certificates to the Coast Guard personnel as a travel requirement.

"Paglinya lagi kuno didto sa Coast Guard nakalitan sila kay unexpected man gud nga mohatag og papel unya positive ba,” Gamallo told the Freeman.

According to Gamallo, the construction workers possibly did not understand that they were positive for COVID-19.

“Wala man pud sila mag-tago-tago, gipakita ra dayon nila ang ilang papel, ang ilaha ra gyud nga papaulion sila sa ilang pamilya,” Gamallo said.

 The swab certificates show that the construction workers underwent the RT-PCR test in the morning of August 2. The results were immediately made available in the afternoon of the same day.

On August 3, the construction workers travelled to Samboan via a Rough Rider bus and proceeded to the port.

Gamallo said they contacted Negros Oriental but the province refused to accept the workers prompting the municipal government of Samboan to transport them back to Cebu City.

 “Negros will not accept them. Hence, we decided to bring them back to Cebu City as it is too dangerous to let them ride again by public bus,” read a post on Samboan's Facebook page.

The construction workers are now isolated in one of the quarantine facilities in Cebu City. — FPL (FREEMAN)