ZAMBOANGA CITY—Eight individuals who had been stranded in Metro Manila were added to Basilan’s COVID-19 tally, raising the province’s count to 14.
Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman said the eight new cases were those of people in the province who got stuck in Metro Manila because of the lockdown.
Of the eight infected returnees, four are from the town of Tipo-Tipo, one from Al Barka, one from Tuburan and two from Lamitan City.
Salliman said contact tracing results showed four of the new patients have had contact with an earlier patient, a councilor of Lamitan.
The councilor travelled from Manila to Basilan by bus. His wife and child also tested positive for coronavirus, including the patient from Al Barka town.
Salliman said the returnees had been tested upon arrival in the province.
The Basilan provincial government has prepared the Lamitan District Hospital, with a 100-bed capacity, as an isolation facility.
Patients from other towns who tested positive were turned over to their municipal health teams for isolation and quarantine.