THREE foreigners from South Africa who arrived in Negros Occidental last week will be re-swabbed Wednesday, December 1, a Provincial Government official said.

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said Tuesday, November 30, that the three foreigners are currently under quarantine in Manapla, Calatrava and La Carlota City following their arrival in the province on November 26.

Diaz said he received a complaint from the company of the three South African nationals, who are consultants, after they were refused to be quarantined in a hotel in Bacolod City.

The three arrived in the country on November 25 and have passed the approval of the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) in Manila, he clarified.

"I am aware of the status of three who are fully vaccinated and were tested negative of Covid-19 based on their RT-PCR test results but they will undergo re-swabbing," Diaz said, adding that they indicated in their Safe, Swift and Smart Passage (S-Pass) that they came from Makati.

The provincial administrator pointed out that the primary duties and obligations to impose a ban on travelers from "red countries" lies with the BOQ.

On Friday, November 26, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique were placed under the "red list" immediately following the announcement of the detection of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

The three arrived in the country before the banning was implemented, he stressed.

Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical and data analysis of the Bacolod Emergency Operation Center, said they have ordered the quarantine facilities, including hotels, not to accept returning residents from outside the Negros Occidental capital city because they should be quarantined in their respective local government units.