ILOILO City – The National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 granted anew the request of Western Visayas local officials for a seven-day moratorium on the entry of travelers from the National Capital Region (NCR), the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, Davao City and Cebu City.
The taskforce clarified that the suspension of all incoming flights, sea voyage and land travel from the said areas – from April 13 to 19 – does not apply to returning overseas Filipino workers who will be granted unhampered access.
Taskforce chairperson Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said they acknowledged the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the region and this will give Western Visayas “more breathing space to prevent local transmission and protect its healthcare system from being overwhelmed.”
It was Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas, on behalf the region’s chief executives, who requested for an extension of the moratorium from April 11 to 17.
Previously, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the request to temporarily suspend inbound travel from the said areas from April 4 to 10.
However, according to Lorenzana, they moved the period of effectivity to give prior notice to all travelers concerned.
“This time must be used to undertake further measures to intensify the enforcement and monitoring of compliance to the minimum public health standards and to strengthen your healthcare system’s capabilities,” Lorenza added.
As of yesterday, data from the Department of Health in Region 6 showed that active COVID-19 cases in the region surged to 3,146.
Negros Occidental had the highest number of active cases with 1,317 followed by Bacolod City with 456, Antique (389), Iloilo Province (366), Iloilo City (332), Aklan (201), Capiz (78), and Guimaras (7)./PN
