IATF stops transport of OFWs, strandees to Bacolod, Iloilo for 2 weeks

ILOILO CITY—The National Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has suspended for two weeks the transport of stranded individuals and returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the cities of Bacolod and Iloilo in Western Visayas and to Negros Occidental province.

In a memorandum circular dated August 7, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, IATF chair approved the request of the Western Visayas Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 for a 14-day moratorium starting August 8.

Local chief executives in the region have been complaining of the continued arrival of flights and trips transporting OFWs and stranded persons oftentimes on short notice, saying their isolation facilities are now filled beyond capacity.

They appealed for the proper scheduling and coordination of the flights and trips so that their facilities and personnel will not be overwhelmed.

The Department of Health in Western Visayas has recorded 1,931 COVID-19 cases in the region as of August 8 with 1,335 or 69 percent involving OFWs, stranded individuals, and Authorized Persons Outside of Residence.

/MUF

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