Non-essential travelers no longer allowed to enter Bicol

LEGAZPI CITY –– All non-essential travelers from the National Capital Region and adjacent provinces within the NCR Plus “bubble” and other areas classified under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ are no longer allowed entry into the Bicol region, the Bicol Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (BIATF) said on Tuesday.

They would be required to return to their places of origin.

The BIATF directive was issued on Thursday and carried out immediately after the agreement reached during the dialogue with the provincial governors imposing stricter border quarantine control points at the Bicol-Quezon boundaries in Sta. Elena, Camarines Norte and Del Gallego town in Camarines Sur.

Lawyer Anthony Nuyda, Department of Interior and Local Government Bicol chief and BIATF chairperson said border checkpoints manned by personnel from the Philippine National Police, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board, and local health frontliners would strictly guard the border and prohibit all private vans, cars, bringing in non-essential travelers entry.

Under the BIATF advisory, all other travelers bound for Bicol need to show the result of their negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or antigen test from their area of origin and undergo an antigen test to where they are going.

Quarantine checkpoints and health screenings would be put up on the border of Barangay Tabugon, Sta. Elena, Camarines Norte to check travelers bound for the province.

A checkpoint and screening station would be established in Del Gallego, Camarines Sur, to check travelers bound for Camarines Sur and Catanduanes.

However, the Interzonal and Intrazonal Movement of the Omnibus Guidelines on Community Quarantine has cited that personnel of delivery vehicles, when transporting essential goods and cargoes, are exempt from any testing and quarantine protocols imposed by local governments to their points of destination.

Also exempted are the movement of Authorized Person Outside Residence (APOR) or employees with valid travel orders and company identification cards.

The non-APORs would be allowed entry subject to the reasonable regulations imposed by LGUs.

LZB