MANILA, Philippines — The provincial government of Iloilo has ordered a border restriction and general community quarantine in light of the 2019 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
In an executive order made public Sunday, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor ordered the travel restriction from March 15 to April 14 with the exceptions of government officials, health workers, and Iloilo residents.
He also directed all local government units to abide by the directives of the Department of Health and Department of the Interior and Local Government on the imposition of the general community quarantine, and limits the movement of the people of Iloilo “to accessing basic necessities and work.”
A copy of the order was shared by the Office of the Governor’s Executive Assistant in a Facebook post.
Residents of the province who will return until March 17, 2020 are allowed to enter the province.
Persons who enter the province in violation of the restriction shall be placed under quarantine for 14-days pursuant to the COVID-19 decision tool, according to the directive.
The private sector is also urged to implement flexible work arrangements while classes in all levels will be suspended until April 14.
Iloilo is among the 41 provinces and cities across the country that have closed their borders in the face of a looming widespread transmission of COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected 140 in the country and killed 12 people.
The virus, which first emerged in the Chinese province of Hubei in late 2019, causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but experts earlier said that older adults with preexisting health conditions were more vulnerable to the coronavirus, particularly those aged over 60-years-old.
The World Health Organization declared the disease a global pandemic.
The Philippines has been placed under a state of public health emergency as COVID-19 cases increase each day.