By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Executive Assistant and Bacolod Extraction Team head Ernie Pineda revealed on Friday, June 11, that 10 residents in Bacolod City who have been identified as close contacts of COVID-positive patients have refused to be extracted and thus could face legal charges.

According to Pineda, he had already submitted the police blotter reports on the 10 individuals before the City Legal Office (CLO) which would take over the matter.

Pineda said as of the moment the number of backlogs of individuals who have refused to be extracted in order to undergo quarantine has been reduced following their suggestion to the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force.

Data presented by Pineda showed that of the 200 backlogs they had last week, the number has reduced to 14 as of June 11.

Earlier, Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical of the city’s Emergency Operations Center, said it is the responsibility of the city’s village chiefs and personnel of the Bacolod City Police Office to convince and remind the public, especially those identified as close contacts of COVID-positive patients, who refuse to get a swab test.

Sorongon said the police should file a blotter for those who continue to refuse and the matter should be forwarded to the CLO for action to be taken.

He pointed out such moves by those who refuse to get swabbed is a violation under Republic Act 11332, or the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.”

Sorongon also recommended that information dissemination and awareness should be stepped up even more in order for the city’s residents to better understand that getting a swab test is very important in controlling COVID-19 cases./DGB, WDJ