By Glazyl Masculino
BACOLOD CITY - Thirty-three out of 35 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who underwent a 14-day mandatory quarantine at the provincial healing center in E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental were sent home Thursday after they tested negative for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Of the total figure, 15 were Bacolod residents while 18 others were from the province. The OFWs were repatriated from Cebu during the implementation of the community quarantine on April 14.
The city government of Bacolod sent its city bus and a nurse from the City Health Office to pick them up and bring them home.
The two remaining OFWs from Silay City and Candoni town remain in quarantine after they tested positive for the virus. The two are still in strict isolation and will require further tests.
Although the 33 OFWs tested negative for the virus, they still need to undergo another seven days of home quarantine, as per instruction of the medical personnel.
Meanwhile, Zeaphard Caelian, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division, said that 121 persons under monitoring (PUMs) for COVID-19 have already been released from the Mambukal Mountain Resort quarantine facility in Murcia town. The facility now has 63 PUMs with 41 more expected to be released soon, he added.
At present, the province is still waiting for the results of 100 swab tests out of the 322 specimens sent for COVID-19 testing. Of the 322 specimens, 218 were negative, and 4 were positive.