ILOILO CITY—More frontline workers and the vulnerable people in the island province of Guimaras are being tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Guimaras Governor Samuel Gumarin said the provincial government’s mass testing was intended to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the province’s the five towns.
This came as the recent homecoming of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) resulted in several of them testing positive for COVID-19.
During the height of the strict lockdown, Guimaras was the only area in Western Visayas region without any positive COVID-19 cases.
More than 300 frontline workers, including personnel from the Guimaras provincial government, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Department of Health (DOH) underwent testing. All of them yielded negative result.
Gumarin, a medical doctor by profession, also prioritized testing for close contacts of COVID-19 positives as well as those who are undergoing dialysis and chemotherapy. The results of their swab tests are still pending.