By HENRY EMPEÑO | Subic Bay Freeport

AFTER being free of Covid-19 infection under four months of quarantine restrictions, the Subic Bay Freeport reported its first positive cases on Tuesday, just two weeks after it eased into modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

Wilma T. Eisma, chairman and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), said a total of eight positive cases have been recorded here, but added that all cases had been traced to outside contacts.

On Tuesday afternoon, July 14, Eisma said two residents of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone had contracted the virus. By Tuesday night, however, six more cases were known, as results from the SBMA-Red Cross testing laboratory came in, Eisma added.

“While there has been no recorded local transmission of Covid-19 in the Freeport, we have now two residents who have tested positive of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the infection,” Eisma said.

She described the first patient as a 22-year old female, who received a visitor from Manila recently, and the second as a 42-year old male, who works in Laguna and comes home to Subic on weekends.

On the other hand, she said the six other cases “are just visitors in the Freeport, who were tested at the SBMA-PRC testing facility.”

However, two of those who tested positive had reportedly left the Subic Freeport before their swab test results came out, while the other four are under quarantine here.

According to records, the six new cases are all female. The first two, aged 40 and 45, are residents of one address in Quezon City; the third is a 67-year old from Palauig, Zambales; while the rest, aged 46, 17 and 14, are all residents of one address in Subic, Zambales.

Eisma said in the same statement that she had also gone into voluntary quarantine as a precautionary measure after attending the commissioning ceremony of BRP Jose Rizal, the country’s first missile frigate, here at the Alava Pier last Friday. One of the Philippine Navy officials present in the ceremony had reportedly tested positive of Covid-19.

The SBMA official also noted that all the positive cases in Subic seemed to be imported, as six of them involved visitors to the Freeport while the two residents either had an outside visitor or travelled out of Subic.

“So we’re confident that there is still no community transmission here in Subic and we want to keep it that way,” Eisma added.

In her latest statement on Thursday, July 16, Eisma announced that the household members of the first patient had all tested negative for Covid-19.

She added that all the remaining Subic patients “are asymptomatic, under quarantine, and being closely monitored by qualified health professionals.”

The SBMA Public Health and Safety Department has also done contact tracing, advised all parties of the situation, and coordinated with proper authorities for the management of the cases, she added.

“While this may be the price of economic revival when we have to open our gates to help heal the economy, it becomes clearer that our only road out of this crisis is eternal vigilance and mutual responsibility,” Eisma said in her first statement.

“I reiterate my call for vigilance and strict adherence to established health and safety protocols,” Eisma also told Subic stakeholders. “We need your support now, more than ever, as we can overcome this pandemic only if we are stronger together.” ~