DILG to Cagayan gov’t: Relax health restrictions on rescuers, journalists

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered the provicnial government of Cagayan to relax its restrictions being enforced to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after some rescue teams responding to the aftermath of Typhoon Ulysses and some journalists were barred from entering the provincial border due to lockdown restrictions.

“The situation in Cagayan requires unhampered disaster response and recovery operations by rescue and relief organizations. Therefore, all LGUs (local goernment units) in Cagayan and Isabela should ease up access in their areas to facilitate disaster operations,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement on Saturday.

“Existing LGU requirements related to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic should not hamper nor delay the entry, passage, or operations of all government and private sector humanitarian assistance and response personnel,” he went on.

Año said he directed the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to also exercise its discretion in lifting restrictions.

Likewise, media workers and rescue personnel are advised to observe minimum health rules such as the use of face masks and face shields.

In a tweet on Friday, veteran photojournalist Ezra Acayan said field media workers could not enter Cagayan because of the strict quarantine measures being imposed by the provincial government.

“For everyone tweeting #CagayanNeedsHelp and asking media to go cover I’m really sorry to be the bearer of bad news but your local govt has mandated all visitors to undergo 14-day quarantine, media, and aid workers are not exempted (even if we provide a negative swab test result),” he wrote.

For everyone tweeting #CagayanNeedsHelp and asking media to go cover I'm really sorry to be the bearer of bad news but your local govt has mandated all visitors to undergo 14 day quarantine, media and aid workers are not exempted (even if we provide a negative swab test result)

— Ezra Acayan 📸 (@eacayan) November 13, 2020

Acayan also confirmed to INQUIRER.net that quarantine for media was already lifted this Saturday as only IATF identification cards and negative swab tests are required at provincial checkpoints.

More than 3,000 personnel from the Philippine National Police as well as the Bureau of Fire Protection were deployed to Cagayan and Isabela for search and rescue operations, DILG said.

“DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said that this consists of 1,087 police personnel in the various LGUs and 920 police officers from the Reactionary Standby Support Force of Police Regional Office 2 based in Tuguegarao City,” read another statement from DILG.

READ: #CagayanNeedsHelp trends as netizens cry for help

/MUF