LSIs AT ANTIQUE AIRPORT. A total of 90 passengers of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) arrive at the Antique Airport on Wednesday (July 15, 2020). PAL resumes its operation after the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued an advisory lifting the travel ban on locally stranded individuals effective July 15. (Photo courtesy of Antique PIO)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Philippine Airlines (PAL) flew in 90 locally stranded individuals (LSI) as it resumed its operation at Antique Airport located here on Wednesday.
Provincial information officer Junlee Saylo said the aircraft arrived at 9:15 a.m. from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City, carrying 86 adults and four infants.
He said the 89 passengers are Antiqueños while one is from Passi City in Iloilo. He was picked up at the airport by the vehicle provided by the city government.
“As for the outbound passengers, there were 85 passengers,” Saylo said in an interview.
The PAL operation in Antique was temporarily suspended since March 16 following the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
It resumed operations last June 28 but was again suspended for two weeks starting June 29.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in an advisory released on July 13, lifted the travel ban for LSIs to Western Visayas effective July 15.
The movement of LSIs from areas under enhanced and modified enhanced community quarantine is still not allowed.
Meanwhile, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Broderick Train said they installed a triage area right at the airport so to ensure that the passengers would undergo the necessary health protocol upon arrival.
“The passengers also were fetched by the vehicles of their respective LGUs in Antique so that they could be transported straight to their isolation facilities,” he said.
The passengers will have to undergo the 14-day mandatory quarantine so that they could be closely monitored by local health officers. (PNA)
