MANILA, Philippines — Government has suspended the entry of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in several regions, Malacañang announced Monday.
“Para malinaw po, ang naaprubahan po ngayong hapon pa lamang ay ang moratorium sa pagpapauwi ng locally stranded individuals sa mga lugar,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.
(To be clear, what was approved was the moratorium of returning locally stranded individuals in some areas.)
As approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Managing of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Roque said the areas that have a moratorium on the entry of LSIs are the following:
Region VI
Cebu Island
Mactan
Region VIII
CARAGA
Roque explained that these areas do not have enough quarantine facilities for returning individuals.
Last week, Roque said stranded individuals and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will soon be required to undergo COVID-19 swab tests before they could return to their provinces.
This is so that local government units will no longer fear stranded individuals or OFWs bringing the virus to their jurisdictions upon their return.