Northern Mindanao seals borders as some Luzon areas relax lockdown

DISINFECTION POINT A fireman sprays disinfectant solution on a section of a quarantine checkpoint at Barangay Buru-un, near Iligan City’s boundary with Linamon town, Lanao del Norte. —DIVINA SUSON

Northern Mindanao has shut its borders to travelers as cases of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the region continue to rise, even as some areas in Northern Luzon have shifted to a more relaxed quarantine mode.

The Northern Mindanao Task Force for COVID-19 said the closure would cover all travelers, except for trucks and other vehicles bringing in basic goods under general community quarantine conditions.

The region is made up of the provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte, and nine cities. It shares common borders with the regions of Caraga, Davao, Soccsksargen, the Bangsamoro and the Zamboanga Peninsula.

“The two-week closure of regional borders will give the region ample time to further strengthen its fight against COVID-19,” the task force said. The quarantine measure would take effect until May 15.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Northern Mindanao rose from 11 on May 1 to 14 on May 3, according to the Department of Health tracker in the region.

Confirmed cases

Three seafarers who arrived at the ports of Iligan and Ozamiz cities on April 29 tested positive for the virus. A 21-year-old man with unknown travel history was also tested positive at Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City on May 1.

In Iligan, a bus company serving different towns in Mindanao finally opened its Cagayan de Oro-Lugait (Misamis Oriental) route as the city lowered its enhanced community quarantine to modified community quarantine.

Mayor Celso Regencia issued an executive order on April 30, placing the city under a modified quarantine, which allowed public transportation like jeepneys, taxis, tricycles and “kalesa” (horse-drawn carriage) to ply their routes within the city center. This would allow residents who were stranded in other places to go home.

Relaxed curfew

In Northern Luzon, while many provinces have started shifting to a more relaxed curfew under a general quarantine, La Union province and Lamut town in Ifugao province have petitioned for a prolonged lockdown owing to new COVID-19 cases there.

The Cordillera Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) heeded the request of Lamut Mayor Mariano Buyagawan Jr. for an extended lockdown in Lamut, which recorded its first infection on April 25.

A similar request made by La Union Gov. Francisco Emmanuel Ortega III was denied on Sunday by the national IATF, so a partial reopening of government offices and food operations was instituted on Monday.

Ortega said he was concerned about five new infections recorded in the past five days after La Union was excluded from a list of provinces where the quarantine was extended until May 15.

A total of 216 people suspected of having contracted the virus have been confined in local hospitals while 153 others are on home quarantine.

Partial reopening

Government offices in La Union opened on Monday with half of their staff present, while restaurants were allowed to prepare meals for take-out orders.

Buses and jeepneys would not be allowed, except tricycles on special trips to ferry one passenger at a time in accordance with the rules on social distancing.

Residents stranded outside La Union would undergo testing and the mandatory 14-day quarantine should they decide to return home. But employees living in other provinces were given special work permits to enter and exit La Union.

Government offices also opened in Itbayat town, Batanes province, but Monday’s flag-raising ceremonies were canceled due to concerns about contracting the disease from crowds.

—REPORTS FROM FROILAN GALLARDO, JIGGER JERUSALEM, DIVINA SUSON, YOLANDA SOTELO AND NATHAN ALCANTARA