TACLOBAN CITY — Eastern Visayas has recorded 37 fresh cases of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections in the region to 973.
The new cases involved three returning overseas workers and 34 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) — all from Leyte.
Leyte currently has 560 COVID-19 cases with one death.
Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, meanwhile, has requested the Regional Task Force COVID-19 to require all LSIs and returning overseas workers to secure a certificate of acceptance from their respective hometowns before they decide to return home.
Evardone said this will help the receiving local government units to prepare and make necessary arrangements for the mandatory quarantine of incoming residents.
“In addition, this will allow the local government units to regulate the inflow of returning residents and manage the capacity of their designated isolation facilities. In this way, we will be able to ensure that our quarantine facilities are not overwhelmed,” he said.
Evardone said the quarantine facilities put up by some local government units in the province have already reached their maximum capacities.