By HENRY EMPEÑO | Subic Bay Freeport

TWENTRY-FOUR personnel of the government mapping agency National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) have checked into a temporary testing and monitoring facility here after testing positive of infection with the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), which monitors Covid-19 cases here, said the positive cases are crewmen of four NAMRIA hydrographic ships that are based in the Subic Bay Freeport.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the crewmen were shuttled Wednesday night by the SBMA Covid-19 team to the Manila Times isolation center at Subic’s Cubi area, becoming the first patients of that facility which just opened for operation that morning.

Eisma said the SBMA and other concerned agencies here have taken every precaution to prevent further transmission among the crewmen, as well as personnel in the Port of Subic.

“I’ve ordered a ‘gangway-up’ status for all the NAMRIA ships, which means that all the remaining crew would have to stay onboard and cannot come onshore except for emergency,” Eisma stressed.

She added the vessel commanders were very cooperative with the SBMA, as well as the Bureau of Quarantine and the Philippine Coast Guard, regarding the imposition of strict health safety protocols.

“We’re positive that this health issue would be resolved soon,” Eisma also said.

According to Dr. Solomon Jacalne, head of the SBMA Public Health and Safety Department, a total of 18 crewmembers of BRP Hydrographer Presbiterio had contracted Covid-19. Meanwhile, four other positive cases were recorded aboard BRP Hydrographer Hizon, one on BRP Hydrographer Palma, and another on BRP Hydrographer Ventura.

The NAMRIA, which is under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, provides mapmaking services and acts as the government’s central mapping agency. It started basing its vessels in Subic in 2015 after BRPH Hizon and BRPH Palma were commissioned here on June 1 that year.

Jacalne said the infection among NAMRIA crewmen was traced to a crewman of BRP Ventura who returned for duty on April 5 after some time off in Antipolo City. Antipolo, along with other areas in the so-called “NCR Plus bubble,” is still under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status.

Jacalne added that on April 8, said crewmember underwent a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and came out positive, prompting the lockdown of all vessels for quarantine even as the ship crew did not show any Covid-19 symptoms.

When one crewmember developed hypertension on April 12, he was brought to a hospital here and RT-PCR testing was required, and a saliva RT-PCR was then approved for all the crew of the four vessels.

Subsequent results on April 13 showed that out of the 75 crewmen, 22 were positive, Jacalne said, adding that another positive case came up on April 15 from the two pending results of the April 12 saliva test.

The Covid-19 cases from NAMRIA ships brought the confirmed cases among transients here at 68, of which 27 are active. On the other hand, the SBMA has recorded a total of 70 confirmed cases among Freeport residents, 16 of which are still active, and 42 among SBMA employees, 11 of which are active.

It might be recalled that a crewmember of BRPH Palma became the first Covid-19 case recorded in the Subic Freeport at the onset of the pandemic last year. Said crewman tested positive on March 29, 2020 after visiting Mindoro on and falling ill upon his return to Subic three days later. ~