A POLICEMAN who joined the surveillance testing in Bacolod City over the weekend tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda, cluster head on markets and Bacolod Quick Response Team, said Wednesday, December 2, that based on the initial results, of the 548 food delivery drivers and policemen who underwent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, only the cop yielded a positive result.

“Of 548 persons who underwent RT-PCR test, we initially received about 200 results on Tuesday evening and only the cop tested positive for the virus,” he said.

He added the remaining swab results are expected to be released today, December 3.

On Sunday, a total of 467 food delivery drivers and policemen joined the surveillance testing at the Bacolod Respiratory Outpatient (BRO) Center in Bacolod Arts, Youth and Sports Center (Bays Center) following about 81 food delivery drivers who also underwent RT-PCR test on Saturday.

Pineda said those who will be tested positive for the virus will be extracted and transferred to the city's quarantine facility. A contact tracing will also be conducted.

“We are doing this to ensure that our food delivery drivers are not carriers of Covid-19. They are delivering door-to-door so we should ensure that they are not infected with the virus," he said.

The city is also planning to hold another set of surveillance testing on December 5 and 6 for the transport group, personnel of Bacolod Traffic Authority Office and the members of the food delivery services who failed to join the surveillance testing on November 28 and 29. (MAP)