4 NAIA anti-trafficking personnel positive for COVID-19; offices on lockdown

The anti-trafficking offices at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are on lockdown for two weeks after four personnel tested positive for COVID-19, the Department of Justice confirmed Thursday.

The NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking (NAIATFAT) and Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) offices at the airport's three terminals are closed to personnel and the public from July 8 to July 22 while they undergo disinfection.

Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, who is in charge of the IACAT, said contact tracing must immediately be conducted for those who may have been in close contact with the four NAIATFAT personnel.

"The said personnel also had regular interactions and dealings with the general public in the course of the performance of their work (ex. assisting in repatriation efforts in the airport, conduct of regular surveillance activities, etc) at the airport," Villar said in an office order.

She ordered all NAIATFAT personnel, including the 18 who underwent swab testing for COVID-19, to go on self-quarantine for 14 days and observe for any health symptoms.

While the offices are on lockdown, protocols to detect trafficking situations remain in place, said Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete.

"Under these protocols, passengers suspected of being trafficked will still be referred to strict secondary inspection by the BI (Bureau of Immigration)," Perete said in a message to reporters.

He said the IACAT office is open to receive reports through their hotlines and on social media.

All other IACAT units are operational, he said. —KBK, GMA News