CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – At least 11 checkpoints, manned by almost 400 police personnel, will be established to implement border control from Aug. 6-20 in this province as a measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The police started putting up checkpoints during a dry run on Sunday as the province's inter-agency task force deferred to Aug. 6 the start of strict border control as per Resolution No. 2, from the previous Aug. 1 schedule under Resolution No. 1 approved on July 31.
Col. Jaime Santos, director of the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office, said some of the checkpoints are located at the borders of Gapan City-San Miguel, Cabiao-Arayat, Zaragoza-Lapaz, Aliaga-Tarlac/Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX), Licab-Victoria, Guimba-Pura, Cuyapo-Rosales, Carranglan-Sta. Fe, Pantabangan-Castaneda, Bongabon-San Luis and Gabaldon-Dingalan.
Governor Aurelio Umali, Nueva Ecija Inter-Agency Task Force (NEIATF) chair, said in a press conference on Monday that Resolution No. 2 which defers the strict border control implementation and provides for alternative requirements for travelers, was passed on Aug. 1, in response to concerns raised by some sectors.
The measure provides that travelers entering or passing through Nueva Ecija shall present any of four documents -- negative antigen, saliva or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) result; valid NEIATF-issued border pass; valid IATF-issued ID/pass for authorized persons outside of residence (APORs); and COVID-19 vaccination card.
"The NE-IATF may exempt any individual from compliance with the entry requirements for humanitarian considerations such as in cases of travels for emergency or medical or similar purposes," it added.