Iloilo City shuts doors to LSIs for 2 weeks

Starting today, Jan. 8, Iloilo City will temporarily close its doors to locally stranded individuals (LSIs).

The travel moratorium, which was approved by the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF), will last until Jan. 21.

“[Iloilo City] issued a letter addressed to IATF and the National Task Force (NTF) thru RIATF, requesting for a travel moratorium for inbound travel to the LGU for two weeks,” the RIATF’s resolution stated.

“The Department of Health (DOH-6), provided the RIATF with necessary data, and poses no objection on the approval of the request,” it further stated.

City Mayor Jerry Treñas said they decided to request for the moratorium because many LSIs refused to undergo RT-PCR testing.

Under Executive Order No. 02 issued by the mayor, All LSIs, returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs), and authorized persons outside of residence (APORs) are required to undergo swab testing upon their arrival.

“Iloilo City has experienced a significant drop in the number of cases, but there have been numerous reports where our returning residents did not comply with the mandatory RT-PCR testing,” Treñas lamented.IMT