Ilocos Norte bars entry of returning residents

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan, Philippines — Ilocos Norte has temporarily closed its borders to locally stranded individuals (LSIs) to ease congestion in quarantine facilities and prevent health workers from getting “overwhelmed.”

The move came just days after Western Visayas, Iligan City and Lanao del Sur province also closed their borders to LSIs following the surge of virus cases in these areas and the lack of isolation centers for patients. It was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

In an advisory on Sept. 12, the Ilocos Norte provincial government said the IATF approved the border closure, from Sept. 13 to Sept. 18, to help it “cope with the spike in coronavirus cases, decongest quarantine facilities and let front-liners take a much-deserved break.”

So far, the province had 35 active cases, 50 recoveries and one death related to the coronavirus. A less restrictive modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) has been imposed on the province.Previously, LSIs were isolated in quarantine centers designated by the provincial and municipal governments for 10 days as soon as they arrived at the borders. They were then brought to holding units in their villages and stay there for another four days.

In Olongapo City, the local government again required residents leaving their homes to present quarantine passes as coronavirus cases continued to rise.

Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. on Saturday said other stricter quarantine measures had been imposed, such as closing the public market every Sunday to make way for cleaning and disinfection.

Under MGCQ, the city had recorded 272 cases as of Saturday.

—Yolanda Sotelo and Joanna Rose Aglibot