Locally stranded individuals due to travel restrictions imposed amid the coronavirus pandemic wait to board a passenger ship bound to Cagayan de Oro and Palawan at NorthPort terminal in Manila in this June 26, 2020 photo. /Inquirer file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Regional Inter-Agency Task Force in Central Visayas (RIATF-7) is seeking the permission of the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) to allow locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in Cebu City to go home.
In a statement coursed through the Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7) the RIATF-7 said they had sent Resolution No. 14 to the IATF-MEID urging the national agency to ease the travel ban restrictions for Cebu City, which is now under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
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The resolution was passed on July 11, 2020, when Cebu City was still under ECQ. The city is now placed under modified enhanced community quarantine from July 16 to 31.
It can be noted that for areas under ECQ and MECQ, public transportation are suspended and the movement of all residents are limited to accessing essential goods and services, and for work in permitted offices or establishments or such other activities listed under the IATF Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines.
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The movement of LSIs going to and coming from Cebu City is likewise temporarily suspended since June 19 following the directive of the DILG Secretary Eduardo Año. The suspension has not yet been lifted as of July 17, 2020.
For the RIATF-7, the LSIs in Cebu City has been stranded for too long with diminishing resources and should be allowed to go home to their respective provinces or cities already but provided that they have a complete travel documents.
“The LSIs will also be subjected to local health protocols imposed by the receiving local government units that are consistent with IATF policies,” said RIATF-7.
RIATF-7 Chair and DILG-7 Director Leocadio Trovela urged the affected LSIs to keep posted for the action of the National IATF on the request.
Here is a copy of the RIATF-7 Resolution No. 14:
RIATF-7 Resolution No. 14 | Photo Courtesy of Councilor Joel Garganera, the deputy chief implementor for the IATF Emergency Operation Center (EOC)
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