Southern Leyte tightens border controls amid 1st COVID-19 case in Leyte

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Philippines — Southern Leyte province has tightened its border controls, implemented strict enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) measures in its four checkpoints a few hours after the Department of Health (DOH) announced the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in neighboring Leyte province on Friday, April 17, 2020.

Governor Damian Mercado has added provisions on his EO 23 imposing stricter measures in checkpoints in the boundary of Southern Leyte with Leyte province.

Read more: LGUs tighten border controls as DOH confirms 1st COVID-19 case in Leyte

An addendum to EO 23 is that all workers who are not from the province and are working in Southern Leyte shall stay in the province during ECQ. Also workers in private construction companies shall be limited to only Southern Leytenos.

Livestock buyers and rice traders, who are not from Southern Leyte are not allowed entry.

Workers of line agencies who are not from the province but working here shall stay during the duration of their work.

Government officials outside from the province with transaction with Maasin City banks shall be specific to barangay or municipal treasurers.

Vehicle or diesel requirements from the checkpoints shall be provided by the city or municipalities concerned.

Early morning on Friday, the Eastern Visayas Department of Health Center of Health development (CHD), held a press conference confirming the first Leyte province COVID-19 positive case, a 58-year-old woman, bringing to five found positive of Covid-19 in Region Eight. 

But the DOH said that it was not a local transmission since the patient came from Guam and arrived in Leyte on March 21 in a private vehicle./dbs