All Bacolod-bound Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) will only have until December 20 to return in Bacolod City. This, if the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force will approve the request for moratorium filed by the city.
According to Dr. Chris Sorongon, Deputy Medical of the Bacolod Emergency Operations Center, a request for moratorium in accepting LSI was already submitted to the regional IATF for their green light. The suspension of travel will cover travels from December 21 up to January 3.
Sorongon in the daily briefing held at the EOC yesterday, December 9, said that they are informing the LSI ahead of the planned suspension of travel so that returning residents can plan their travel in advance.
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The request for moratorium according to Sorongon will allow the city to rehabilitate its existing quarantine facilities and to also allow medical frontliners to have a break during the holidays.
For his part, Mayor Evelio Leonardia hopes for a favorable response from the regional IATF after he was assured by Department of Health Regional Director Marlyn Convocar that she will endorse the request for approval.
Meanwhile, City Administrator Em Ang clarified that the plan to no longer quarantine in-bound passengers is still subject for approval of the mayor. According to Ang a draft of the proposed executive order is now up for review by the City Legal Office before it will be signed by the mayor.
Under the proposed send-home guidelines, all LSI with negative RT-PCR test from their originating local government unit will no longer be subjected to quarantine and testing upon their arrival. The negative swab test however must be taken 72-hours prior to their scheduled trip.
