ILOILO City – Holiday travel and gatherings could trigger a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, warned the Western Visayas Joint Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF).
In a recent virtual meeting, the task force laid out the preparations for the expected influx of residents returning home.
Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero of the Department of Interior and Local Government Region 6 and RIATF chairperson underscored the need for an intensified campaign urging Western Visayans to avoid unnecessary movement.
Joining the meeting were governors Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo and Esteban Evan Contreras of Capiz, provincial and city disaster risk reduction management officers and representatives from national government agencies.
They agreed to implement the following measures:
* issuance of a joint resolution reiterating the fundamentals of community quarantine protocols to be observed relative to the national IATF’s omnibus guidelines
* issuance of a joint resolution forwarding the executive orders signed by local government units (LGUs) to the national IATF on their implementation of the protocols to be observed during holiday season
* mandate LGUs to maintain capacity or allowable number of returning residents arriving within their area of jurisdiction, except those with approved moratorium on the arrival of locally stranded individuals.
“These preparations are deemed necessary for the transition of Western Visayas to the new normal come year 2021,” said Ingeniero.
On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte announced the quarantine qualifications of provinces and high-urbanized cities in Region 6 for the entire month of December.
Iloilo City remains under general community quarantine (GCQ) while Iloilo province, Negros Occidental, Guimaras, Aklan, Antique, and Capiz stay under modified GCQ.
As of Tuesday night, Western Visayas had a total of 19,905 COVID-19 cases.
Of the total number, 1,869 were active, 17,492 recovered and 554 died./PN