City seeks two-week halt to commercial flights, boat trips

Iloilo City government has sought the temporary stoppage of sweeper flights and boat trips for two weeks starting Thursday to stem the increasing surge in local cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

According to City Mayor Jerry Treñas, he already sent his request letter to the national authorities on Thursday for the temporary halt of inbound flights and boat trips for locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

“Nagsulat ko anay nga indi na anay kita magbaton sang LSIs and OFWs considering that we have several cases of local transmission,” he said in a virtual press briefer on Thursday.

The mayor said LSIs from Cebu will be the last batch of repatriates who will be allowed in the metro.

Treñas said the move aims to contain the local transmission of SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19.

If left uncontrolled, the mayor fears that the transmission in the city will end up like that of hotspot areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Cebu City.

“Since this pandemic started, we never stopped accepting LSIs and OFWs, this is the only time nga nagapangayo kita kay nagasaka aton cases. It is my decision nga ma-untat kita baton in the meantime, aton subong ni call,” he added.

Meanwhile, Regional Task Force Covid-19 chair and Civil Defense regional director Jose Roberto Nuñez said they will have to submit the request of the mayor to the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force and then will be endorsed to the national task force for approval, based on a report by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

According to Nuñez, while local government units (LGUs) have the “prerogative to request the suspension of travel” it is the national task force that will have a final say on the limitations of travel.

As of Thursday, Covid-19 cases recorded in Iloilo City totaled to 151 with 7 deaths, 49 recoveries, and 95 active cases.

Meanwhile, infected LSIs, ROFs, and authorized persons outside residence (APOR) in the metro is at 99 with 51 recoveries and 48 individuals undergoing quarantine. (ERS/with a report from PNA)