Iloilo City to close borders starting May 26

Iloilo City will close its borders as part of measures to address the “alarming” increase in the number of fresh coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

Mayor Jerry Treñas announced the city-wide border control after a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and other local chief executives on Monday, May 24.

The border closure will take effect starting 12:02 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26, until the end of the month.

Treñas said checkpoints will be in place to restrict the movement of those coming into and out of the city, which is currently under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

Only essential workers, according to the mayor, will be allowed entry into the city.

Meanwhile, the city’s doors will remain open to locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and authorized persons outside of residence (APORs) from Manila “as long as they [underwent COVID-19 testing].”

“We understand the difficulties they are all facing,” said Treñas.

Based on the May 24 bulletin issued by the Department of Health (DOH-6), the city has 1,028 active cases of COVID-19, among the highest in Western Visayas.IMT