Jipapad in Eastern Samar remains the only COVID-19-free town in Eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY –– The town of Jipapad in Eastern Samar province remains the only area in Eastern Visayas that is free from coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Neil Norambaba, local disaster risk reduction management officer, said they hope to maintain their record clean even until vaccines against the disease become available.

“We hope we can maintain our status as a COVID-free area, especially [because] we [cannot] buy our vaccine,” he said in a phone interview.

Norambaba said one factor why Jipapad has no COVID-19 case since the start of the pandemic last March could be its geographical location.

Jipapad, considered one of the far-flung areas in the province, is 16 kilometers away from its nearest town of Arteche, also in Eastern Samar, and around 10 kilometers away from its neighboring town of Lapinig in Northern Samar.

Aside from its remote location, Norambaba said Jipapad’s residents strictly followed the health protocols and observed curfew hours from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Returning locally stranded individuals (LSIs) were immediately quarantined for 14 days inside their quarantine facilities and another 10 days at their respective homes.

Outsiders allowed to enter the town like those authorized persons outside of residence have to present their health certificates and their movements monitored.

“We don’t allow any merchants coming from other areas to roam around in our town. They can peddle their merchandise at our checkpoint or border to minimize contact,” Norambaba said.