Mayor Chan to ask IATF to allow entry of foreign tourists

A file photo of Lapu-Lapu Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan.

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu—Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan will recommend to the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) to allow foreign tourists to enter the city.

Chan said that this he will be doing to help revive the city’s economy through its tourism industry.

The mayor said he will ask the IATF to allow those who were already inoculated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine to be permitted to enter the city.

“Nangandoy man gani ta nga mabalik gyud ang industriya sa turismo sa siyudad. If possible those who were already certified nga vaccinated na gyud sila, then they could come. Lisod na gyud kaayo ang atong ekonomiya sa city,” Chan said.

(We’re really hoping that the tourism industry in the city will return. If possible, those who are already certified who are vaccinated could be allowed to come. Our economy in the city is really struggling.)

Chan made this statement, despite the report that was posted by Nagiel Bañacia, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), which shows that the city’s symptomatic cases of the COVID-19 have increased in the first seven days of this month.

According to the report, out of 167 cases of the virus that were reported from April 1-7, 2021, 49 percent of them were symptomatic.

Bañacia, in his Facebook post,  expressed his concern about this development since there are only a few COVID-19 dedicated beds from the hospitals in the city.

“It is critical to Lapu-Lapu City when more patients are symptomatic for there are only a few hospital beds dedicated for Covid patients in the city,” Bañacia’s post read.

Chan, however, was not alarmed and stated that the city has already flattened the curve on the transmission of the virus.

“Based on the report ni Dr. (Ronald) Oporto (medical chief of the Lapu-Lapu City Hospital) dili man ingon ana kadaghan ang kaso, and also sa ARC (Hospital), mahibaw-an man nato kung ang atong kaso mitaas ba gyud,” he added.

(Based on the report of Dr. Oporto, the number of cases is really not that high and also at the ARC, we will know if the number of cases will really rise.)

Based on the case bulletin issued by the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) on April 12, 2021, Lapu-Lapu City has only logged 13 new cases of the virus, with 871 total active cases. 

Read: Lapu-Lapu to remove all travel restrictions; tourism players welcome move

/bmjo