Bohol under 5-day community quarantine to ‘prepare for the worse’ of COVID-19
Tourists flock to Bohol’s white sand beaches such as this one in Panglao Island, and other top eco-tourism destinations found in the island province. |CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Starting Monday, March 15, 2020, inbound travelers are not allowed to enter Bohol.
Bohol Governor Arthur Yap announced today, Friday (March 13, 2020) that they will be implementing a five-day community quarantine. Yap said it will be lifted this March 20, 2020.
The period, he said, will provide the provincial government of Bohol, other relevant agencies, and members of the private sector enough time to prepare for the impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“We will not be accepting travelers during the community quarantine to give us time to seriously prepare and work together to beat this challenge… We want to focus, and we want to prepare for the worse,” Yap said.
According to Yap, the period will give government officials the chance to conduct an intensified information drive pertaining to COVID-19, and convert several establishments into temporary hospitals to accommodate patients in the future.
He said they have identified the old Tagbilaran airport as one of the possible temporary hospitals. He added that the old Tagbilaran airport can be turned into a 60-bed hospital.
Yap said they are targetting to put up temporary hospitals with a total capacity of 120 beds.
The Bohol governor also clarified that there will be no lockdown, adding that lockdown means residents in an area are compelled to stay indoors and that transportation and flow of goods will be paralyzed.
“This is not a lockdown. Lockdown means you cannot go out. You cannot have classes. All agencies will be closed,” said Yap.
“This is a community quarantine. Those who are allowed to leave Bohol, they can leave,” he added.
Bohol province hosts some of the most popular tourist sites in Central Visayas. To name some are Panglao Island, Chocolate Hills, and Loboc River. /rcg
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