TACLOBAN CITY (PNA) – Samar’s provincial government is suspending the entry of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in the next four weeks to help contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In a public advisory issued Monday, the local government said it would stop accepting LSIs in the province from midnight of August 25 until midnight of September 24.
Samar Governor Michael Tan said the moratorium was in line with Joint Resolution 18, dated August 20, that was issued by the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Regional Task Force on COVID-19.
“I am requesting all the local governments in the province of Samar and other concerned agencies and front-liners to fully implement the moratorium,” Tan said.
The suspension was the local government‘s way of giving much-needed attention to, and helping those infected with the coronavirus to alleviate their situation.
The local government of Samar requested its residents to adhere to health protocols so as not to add to the numbers of positive cases in the province.
Catbalogan City, Samar’s provincial capital, is under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as more people were believed to have been infected by COVID-19, including Mayor Dexter Uy and his sister, former mayor Councilor Stephany Uy.
As of August 22, the province had 494 active cases.
At least 90 of these cases were recorded on August 22.
The provincial government is still consolidating reports on the number of recoveries.
Tan said the number of fresh cases in the past few days has been very alarming.