Capitol urges authorities

to nab protocol violators

CORTES, Bohol, March 13 (PIA) – In a span of one week, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Bohol streaked upwards 60 percent, which has Capitol getting concerned.

In an online press conference Friday, Provincial Administrator Atty. Katherin Pioquinto has urged local authorities mandated to implement the COVOD-19 protocols to help in controlling the spread of the disease, with local transmission gaining momentum to potentially cause another outbreak.

While she urges everyone to always follow the COVID protocols, she also asks the help of authorities to apprehend people who are in flagrante delicto, or caught in the act of doing contrary to the provisions of the national and local measures to curb the spread of the virus.

The move could stem from two problems that local authorities have to face squarely: a surge of COVID cases brought in by those who have been motivated to cross the borders to Bohol following the loosened travel restrictions and a more alarming exponential increase in local transmission.

In fact, Friday March 12 also marked the highest number of COVID active cases in a day in Bohol with 224, since the first case was recorded sometime in March of last year.

In its 8 AM Daily COVID Monitoring Report March 6, Bohol posts 91 active cases where 61 are cases involving local transmission and the remaining 30 cases brought in by returning residents (RR), Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR) and non-APORS.

The day’s report is not much of an improvement from the same tracker a week before.

On March 1, 2021, Bohol records 92 active cases wherein there was one new case for the day, 78 cases by local transmission and 13 cases brought in by RRs, OFWs, APORs and non-APORs.

On March 2, Bohol notes 84 active cases, where 73 of these cases were local transmission and 11 were brought in by those coming in from places outside Bohol.

It was on March 3 when Governor Arthur Yap signed Executive Order No. 17, series of 2021, which removed the mandated repeat COVID test through Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) upon the fifth day of the traveller’s arrival in Bohol having earlier presented a negative for COVID-19 in an RT PCR test which was taken 72 hours prior to arrival in Bohol.

The same EO 17 also removed the requirement for Medical Clearance Certificate and the Philippine National Police Travel Authority, in consonance with the national Inter-Agency Task Force Resolution which intends to loosen the travel requirements to bolster the recuperating economy and motivate domestic tourism and travel.

By March 4, when the EO 17 was announced as effective, Bohol saw 89 active cases.

While the day registered no new cases, local transmission on record was at 66 while the day’s arrival of travellers from outside Bohol nearly doubled: from 14 to 23.

On March 5, 2021, the day showed a glimmer of hope with just 74 cases: 4 new cases, 49 from local transmission and 21 cases noted from new arrivals.

Last March 6, Bohol posts 91 active cases: no new case but local transmission surged from 49 in the previous day to 61, and the COVID cases detected from ROF, OFW, APORs and non APORs started to spike at 30 from 21 on the previous day.

In its 9 PM Daily COVID tracker March 7, as issued by the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force, the active cases nearly doubled with recorded 151 cases where 39 are new cases from single digits earlier.

From this day onwards, active cases in Bohol start to noticeably climb.

The day’s local transmission seemed stable at 62 or one new addition but the COVID cases brought in by travellers from outside skyrocketed to 50 from 30 earlier.

On March 8, Bohol had 138 active cases, a noted reduction in overall active cases.

But with 28 more cases detected from entering RRs, OFWs, APORS and non-APORs, or from 50 to 78, it was more than enough for the governor to amend its earlier EO-17.

That day, Capitol issued Executive Order 17-A, which now disallows entry to Bohol of individuals who could not present a negative RT-PCR test result, by swab specimen taken 72 hours before the traveller departs for Bohol.

This also scraps the testing upon arrival by those who could not present a negative for COVID test results by accredited RT-PCR laboratories.

By 1 PM of March 9, the active cases continue to track diagonally with 153 active cases for the day: 68 of these cases by local transmission and 85 from new arrivals.

At 3 PM of March 10, Bohol already had 180 active cases: 81 from local transmission and a still rising 99 COVID cases from new arrivals.

At 9PM of March 11, BIATF reports 210 active COVID cases in Bohol: when from zero cases in the previous three days, new cases rose to 13, local transmission grew to 85 from 81 and COVID cases brought in by entering RRs, ROFs, APORs and non-APORs further zoomed to 112.

Last Friday, March 12, Bohol has 224 active COVID cases: 14 new cases, 94 from local transmission and 116 cases brought in by the horde of people intending to return to Bohol, APORs and non-APORs. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)