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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 5 more travelers from South Africa already located---DOH

5 more travelers from South Africa already located---DOH

Published Dec 10, 2021 10:08 am

PIXABAY/ MANILA BULLETIN

The Department of Health (DOH) said that five of the seven unlocated travelers who arrived in the Philippines from South Africa have already been found.

"Yes, we have already located another five, so we are just trying to locate two of these travellers," DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told reporters on Friday, Dec. 10.

The DOH previously said that eight travelers from South Africa who arrived in the Philippines prior to the imposition of travel restriction provided incomplete personal information in their health declaration forms.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday, Dec. 8, urged these travelers from South Africa to cooperate with the authorities for COVID-19 testing amid the threat of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

READ: 7 Filipino travelers from S. Africa may face raps after giving false contact information – DOH

Duque said that he is planning to suggest to the Interagency Task Force (IATF) and to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to publish the names of travelers who have yet to be located by authorities for contact tracing purposes.

He said that this measure “could be helpful.” However, there may be “possible legal consequences.”

“Well, what I'm planning to suggest to the IATF and to DILG is to---but we have to clear this because there are legal implications in having their names printed or published,” said Duque in an interview on CNN Philippines on Friday, Dec. 10.

“I will push it and see to what extent I can do that because I strongly feel that this is a weakness in the system and sometimes unintended consequences of certain laws that weaken our ability to do more effective contact tracing or back tracing in this particular regard,” he added.

As of the moment, Duque urged the travelers coming to the Philippines to completely accomplish and provide accurate information on their health declaration forms.

“Mahalaga po ito. Para din ito sa inyong kapakanan at inyong pamilya , at sa inyong komunidad para hindi po kayo makapanghawa kung saka-sakaling kayo ay meron palang variant or COVID omicron variant (This is important. It is also for your own benefit, for your family, and for your community--- so that you will not infect others if you happen to have a variant or COVID Omicron variant),” he said.

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