Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has ordered all first generation (F1) contacts of RT-PCR confirmed positive Covid-19 cases in Davao City to undergo mandatory quarantine.
Through an Executive Order (E.O.) No. 20-A, Series of 2021, known as “An Order Providing For Mandatory Swabbing Of All F1, F2, and F3 Contacts Of An RT-PCR Confirmed Positive Case Of COVID-19 In Davao City,” she signed on April 20, 2021, the mayor inserted a new Section 2 in the original E.O., which was issued on April 6, 2021 by then Acting Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, making quarantine mandatory for F1 contacts. The original Section 2, which detailed penalties, has now become Section 3 of E.O. 20-A.
The Section 2 now states, “All F1 contacts should undergo quarantine while waiting for their test result. F2 and F3 contacts do not need to undergo quarantine while waiting for their test result.”
F1 contacts are defined as first-generation contacts of an RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 positive case while F2 contacts are close contacts of F1 and F3 are close contacts of F2.
All F1, F2, and F3 contacts of an RT-PCR confirmed positive case are all mandated to undergo swab testing. The Contact Tracing Team or the District Health Office will determine the testing date.
The E.O. also cited the need to expand the testing of contacts beyond the F1 category as an attempt to control the transmission of the virus and to recalibrate strategies to prevent and control COVID-19 transmission in Davao City amid the surge of cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) and other areas of the country and also the emergence of new COVID-19 variants.
Earlier this month, the vice mayor has issued an EO ordering the mandatory swabbing of persons in close contact with confirmed Covid-19 positive. The mandatory swabbing will last until December 31, 2021.
