Non-essential travel into and within Iloilo will be disallowed for two weeks to “address the developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surge” in the province.
The travel restriction, based on Executive Order (EO) No. 175 issued by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., is effective starting on Friday, June 4 until June 18.
“Non-essential travel into and from all the municipalities and Passi City shall be restricted to significantly reduce people circulation to minimize, if not eliminate, further transmission,” the EO stated.
Only Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APORs) are allowed to travel.
Considered as APORs are health and emergency frontline service personnel, government officials and government frontline personnel, duly authorized humanitarian actors (HAAs), persons traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, those going to and from the airport, persons crossing zones for work or business that are authorized to operate in the destination as well as activities allowed by the inter-agency task force, and operators of public utility vehicles.
APORs from the national government agencies and other government offices/ corporations are required to present Government Travel Pass.
Non-government APORs or those working in the private sector need to present Company/Employer Travel Pass.
Other APORs working or doing business in other livelihood sectors must secure a Local Government Unit (LGU) Travel Pass from the town mayor or city mayor.
“The mayor may delegate the issuance of LGU Travel Pass to the Punong Barangay,” the EO stated.
Meanwhile, Defensor said the province will continue to accept returning residents and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), but they are required to undergo reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing.
“If we will not take significant steps and we will just absorb through our hospitals, cases will just continue to increase. We should continue to do new things to prevent (the further spread of COVID-19) while preparing our health care system to meet the contingency,” the governor said.IMT
