"Bus Travel Protocols:A Potentially Problematic area"

 "Bus Travel Protocols:A Potentially Problematic area"

by:

Virgilio F.De leon Jr.MD

A well known Bus Company who caters to travel to Baguio recently announced their travel protocols as follows:

1) Certificate of a Negative Antigen swab test result from origin terminal; 

2) or bring a swab test result valid for 72 hours from departure; 

3) or get an antigen swab test upon arrival in Baguio.

While I do appreciate this effort to get people travelling again this area could be particularly troublesome. 

Antigen tests have a tendency to have a high rate of False Negatives. It also would rely on the amount of virus that can be detected during the time that the test was taken. If there is not enough concentration then it would show negative but if a traveler would stay in Baguio for more than a couple of days that viral concentration can change really fast.

About Swab tests even if they have been valid for 3 days the issue would still be at the time that it was actually taken. Viral loads might not show up but continue to develop in the duration of this travellers stay.

And the last one where you can just get an antigen test when you get to Baguio , I believe this is a contingency in case someone was able to get on board and not be tested. The issue would be if the antigen comes back positive. This traveler might be refused entry into the city and would be forced to travel back or worse stay in quarantine for 2 weeks.

Again I appreciate the efforts to have people moving again , travelling and seeing places is important but this has to be done safely. Something is still missing in the protocol but it can still work.