TACLOBAN City - The implementation of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in the entire province of Northern Samar was extended from November 4 to November 17 or until it is lifted by the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force for COVID-19 (RIATF).
Governor Edwin Ongchuan requested the extension due to the continuing spike in the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, spreading to 22 out of 24 municipalities of the province.
As of Wednesday, November 4, Northern Samar has 397 COVID-19 active cases as reported by the Department of Health (DOH) Provincial Office.
The existing GCQ category of the province expired on November 3, hence the request for an extension by the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force made through the governor.
Along with the implementation of GCQ in Northern Samar, the acceptance of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) was also suspended for the same period of 14 days, or until November 17.
The governor said the moratorium will give the province and the municipal governments more time to fully attend to those currently under isolation or quarantine for having contracted COVID-19 or for having been exposed to confirmed cases.
“It will help contain and prevent the spread of the disease and guarantee that our LSIs would receive adequate medical attention when they finally return to the province,” Ongchuan said.