TACLOBAN CITY –– At least 68 new cases of the coronavirus were recorded in Eastern Visayas on Friday, bringing the total number of infections in the region to 4,025.
Of the new cases, 43 were from Leyte, while 25 were from Samar, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
The new infections also include 27 locally stranded individuals (LSIs), who continue to return to the region despite a moratorium sought by local officials.
Lord Byron Torrecarion, head of the Regional COVID-19 Task Force, said their request for a temporary moratorium on the arrival of LSIs in the region was not acted upon by the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF).
“We at the RTF would like to clarify that although there was a request for temporary suspension of LSIs, it was not acted upon by the NIATF, and there is no suspension of LSIs as of this time,” he said in an interview.
The DOH, on Wednesday, said at least 1,551 LSIs in the region have contracted the virus.