City imposes stricter rules for repatriates from NCR and Cebu

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

 

Following reports of individuals breaching quarantine procedures, Iloilo City imposed mandatory protocols for all locally stranded individuals (LSIs), overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR) from National Capital Region (NCR), Cebu City, and Talisay.

Mayor Jerry Treñas issued executive order (EO) No. 96 on Thursday providing the mandatory protocol for all returning LSIs, APORs, and persons who tested positive for COVID-19.

The EO requires all LSIs, OFWs, APOR from NCR, Cebu City and Talisay City and persons with medium to high-risk of exposure to positive COVID-19 cases to undergo mandatory real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test upon their arrival whether by land, air, or sea.

They are also required to undergo strict quarantine while waiting for their confirmatory results.

All LSIs, OFWs, APOR shall be subjected to mandatory 14-day quarantine either at a facility identified by the Iloilo City government or hotels identified by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration for OFWs.

“Home quarantine shall be prohibited if and when the Covid-19 RT-PCR test results have not yet been released. Those LSIs, OFWs, APOR and those persons with medium to high risk of exposure to positive COVID-19 found to be COVID-19 positive shall be confined and admitted either to the Iloilo City Government identified COVID-19 treatment facility or at a hospital chosen by the patient,” the EO added.

All arriving individuals in the metro whether an LSI, OFW or APOR coming from the above-mentioned origins, persons with medium to high risk of exposure to positive cases shall voluntarily submit and agree to cooperate with the Iloilo City Health Office for contact tracing purposes.

The order was issued following reports of LSIs allegedly breaching quarantine protocols in several districts in Iloilo City.

In a radio interview, Treñas expressed his dismay over locally stranded individuals who allegedly violated quarantine protocols despite under home quarantine. He even expressed his eagerness to punch them.

“May ma-basketball, may ma-manicure may mainom and gatagay pa. Mayo lang wala ko nakit-an kay kon nakit-an ko tampungulon ko gid,” he lamented.

According to the mayor, irresponsible LSIs who went out of their homes resulted in additional contact tracing efforts of the city government, which is a waste of the efforts and resources of the city.

“I cannot understand why they would violate the quarantine protocol and would want to cause harm to their family, friends and loved ones. The City of Iloilo and our citizens have sacrificed so much just to stop the spread of the virus, and we cannot allow this to happen again,” Treñas said in a separate statement.

The mayor urged residents to report LSIs violating quarantine protocols to the police authorities.

“To anyone who knows any LSIs who have been violating their quarantine protocols, please don’t hesitate to contact our PNP, for under the Bayanihan Law they will be held liable for escaping their quarantine,” he said.