ZAMBOANGA CITY – The city government here announced on Thursday that it was indefinitely imposing a moratorium on the entry of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) effective October 26, as the cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continued to rise here.
City Information Officer Sheila Covarrubias said the moratorium was based on a resolution the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) approved on Monday.
However, Covarrubias said Authorized Persons Outside of Residences (APORs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) may be allowed entry if they comply with certain requirements.
She said the moratorium was compelled by the limited quarantine facilities, and the closure of the neighboring provinces' borders.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said the increasing number of COVID-19 cases could be attributed to the city being the transit point of LSIs and ROFs in the region, and being the treatment area for infected patients.
The city health office has reported 2,472 cases of COVID-19 with 1,572 recoveries, and 103 deaths, as of October 19.
Of the total cases, 797 were classified as active cases.