By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Three South African expats who have arrived in Negros Occidental last week were ordered to be placed on quarantine over ongoing concerns brought by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Negros Occidental’s provincial administrator, Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, said the three are currently in quarantine in the towns of Calatrava and Manapla, and the city of La Carlota.

Diaz said two of the expats arrived on November 25, while the other one arrived on November 26.

South Africa was only declared under the “Red List” by the national government on November 27, and because of this they were able to pass through the Bureau of Quarantine.

All three are also noted to be fully vaccinated and their initial RT-PCR test results came back negative for COVID-19, but Diaz said the three will undergo re-swabbing five days through their quarantine period.

Meanwhile, following an alleged refusal from the Bacolod City government to place the three in a quarantine hotel in the city, Diaz said they will not file a complaint, although it will be up to the three’s employers if they will pursue the complaint for failing to provide them with a comfortable facility to be put on quarantine.

Diaz also said they have stepped up monitoring of incoming passengers into the province against travelers who have originated from “Red List” countries.

The Omicron variant was first discovered in South Africa last November 24, and was declared a variant of concern last November 26 by the World Health Organization.

The newly-discovered variant is described to be “heavily mutated” and studies are still being carried out on how it acts compared to other variants, and if the current COVID-19 vaccines are still effective against the Omicron variant./DGB, WDJ