The Davao City Covid-19 Task Force has requested the City Council to defer the passage of an ordinance requiring mandatory reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing and penalizing close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 positive cases for refusal to undergo testing.
During the council session on Tuesday, Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta, who is the proponent of the said proposed ordinance, reported that the task force requested for a deferment as adjustments are needed to polish the measure.
Dr. Ashley Lopez, acting head of the City Health Office (CHO), clarified the proposed ordinance was not canceled but is only deferred for passing on third reading.
“Kay naa pa ta’y mga data nga dapat himoon in relation to the data analysis nato for F1, F2, and F3. Naa pa gamay na mga proseso na kailangan humanon bago ta mu-proceed with the final reading,” Lopez explained during the Covid-19 Alert Program via Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Wednesday.
Entitled “An Ordinance Providing For Mandatory Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) Testing of All F1, F2, and F3 Contacts of An RT-PCR Confirmed Positive Case of Covid-19 In Davao City” covers all persons identified as F0 (person positive for Covid-19), F1 (first generation contacts of a Covid-19 confirmed positive), F2 (close contacts of F1), and F3 (close contacts of F2) in Davao City.
Section 8 of the proposed ordinance stated that F0, F1, F2, and F3 contacts willfully refused to undergo mandatory RT-PCR testing under being notified shall be penalized accordingly while FO who shall willfully refuse to undergo mandatory isolation after being duly notified shall be penalized with a penalty of P5,000.
Lopez said that until now the task force has not discussed yet the fines and penalties.
“If the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) will be able to pass the resolution for third and final reading then probably we can already set the fines and penalty na P5,000. Daghan ta ug reaction ana (P5,000), ang point man gud sa government is, dili man ta mu-impose ani kay gusto ta maka-kuwarta,” he said.
Lopez added that imposing fines and penalties aims to improve the compliance of Dabawenyos on following guidelines particularly on undergoing swab testing.
“Basing on our data dili tanan F1 nagapa-test, dili tanan F2 nagapa-test, dili tanan F3 naga pa-test. Labi na F2s and F3s daghan nibalibad. Imagine na lang kung kaning mga tawhana positive tinuod, basin mao ni ang spreader nato dinha sa atong mga lugar,” he said.
Lopez added that if that is always the habit of Dabawenyos, the city cannot control and stop Covid-19 pandemic.
“So we need the cooperation of everybody. In order probably to push a little para matagaan ug ngipon ang atong balaod bahin aning atong expanded contact tracing, we have to impose penalties, kung dili mu gusto ma-penalize mo, dali ra man, musunod mo sa swabbing because this is free. The local government of Davao is allocating this for free,” he said.
