New batch of quarantine violators caught at Quezon-Bicol border

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay, Philippines — A new batch of over 200 violators of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine were caught crossing the Quezon-Bicol boundary by police officers manning a checkpoint in Del Gallego town.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Bicol Interagency Task Force (IATF),  police counted 216 people in the holding area of the Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division headquarters in Pili town in Camarines Sur.

Albay province had the highest number of stranded people at 121, followed by Mindanao with 57, Masbate with 24, and Camarines Sur with 14.

In a phone interview, Dr. Ernie Vera, Department of Health (DOH) Bicol chief and IATF chair, said this new batch of travelers came from Metro Manila and wanted to return home due to the lockdown declared in the entire Luzon area to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

As of March 25, the Bicol region was on total lockdown.

Vera said these border violators would undergo 14-day quarantine at designated centers as they were considered as persons under monitoring due to their travel history from COVID-19 hit areas in Luzon.

/atm