THE local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has strengthened its border control to prevent and contain the spread of Sars-CoV-2, which causes the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said the seaport border control team conducted on Wednesday night, February 9, strict physical screening, including rapid antigen test, on the arriving passengers at the local wharf.
The seaport border control team is composed of personnel from the City Health Office, City Tourism Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, and some national government agencies.
Salazar noted that a total of 234 passengers arrived Wednesday night aboard a commercial ferry from Manila via Dumaguete.
Salazar said that 90 of the 234 are from Zamboanga City, two from Tawi-Tawi, eight - Zamboanga Sibugay, 17 - Zamboanga del Norte, 18 - Basilan, eight- Jolo, and 91 Badjaos care of by the Ministry of Social Service and Development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (MSSD-Barmm).
She said that 12 of the total passengers were randomly tested and no one turned out positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, the Zamboanga Task Force Covid-19 data trackers showed that Zamboanga City has 28,085 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 25,396 recoveries, 1,519 active cases, and 1,170 deaths as of Wednesday, February 9. (SunStar Zamboanga)