Strict border measures are in place in Badoc town, Ilocos Norte, where the province’s boundary with Ilocos Sur is located. (Photo courtesy of Ilocos Norte provincial police office)
LAOAG CITY— Residents planning to return to Ilocos Norte are advised to delay their travel as the province tries to contain the spread of COVID-19, Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc said Monday, Aug. 16.
The temporary ban, which disallows the entry of returning overseas Filipinos (ROF) and locally stranded individuals (LSI), was supposed to be lifted on Aug. 15. But a stricter quarantine in the province has been extended until Aug. 31.
During a press briefing, Manotoc said the provincial government would recommend to the regional COVID-19 task force that the temporary suspension of acceptance of returning residents be extended until the end of August.
Exempted from the ban are ROFs completing their mandatory quarantine in facilities in Metro Manila and those “in transit,” or have booked their returning flights to the country until Aug. 31.
Residents returning to the province due to “emergency and humanitarian situations” would also be allowed to enter the borders, Manotoc said.