COVID-19 CHECK. A cargo vehicle personnel presents documents at a quarantine control point in Matalom, Leyte in this July 6, 2020 photo. The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Eastern Visayas said on Thursday (July 16, 2020) authorized persons outside the residence on official business are exempted from the mandatory 14-day quarantine to ensure unhampered delivery of services. (Photo courtesy of 1st Leyte Provincial Mobile Force Company)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Eastern Visayas Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved the exemption of authorized persons outside residence (APORs) from the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
IATF-EID co-chairman and Department of Health regional chief Minerva Molon said on Thursday this was the recommendation of the regional task force (RTF) against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) health cluster to ensure unhampered flow of services.
This protocol applies to all APORS on official business. However, she said APORs from other regions will be allowed entry depending on the purpose of travel.
“This was unanimously approved during a joint meeting of the RTF and IATF-EID in the region last week,” Molon said in a press briefing.
The RTF is tasked for the operations and implementation of Covid-19 related activities while the IATF is the policymaking body for the pandemic response in the region.
APORS are those who come from either a government or private entity whose cross-border movements are allowed in most instances despite the community quarantine restrictions.
These include but are not limited to government workers such as those in the uniformed services and agencies, food industry (manufacturing, sale, and delivery), hospital, health, and medical staff, logistics providers (cargo handling, warehouse, etc.), among others.
“Concerned agencies of APORs who belong to the uniformed personnel required to go on duty for 14-days or more are advised to provide temporary quarantine house for all off-duty personnel,” Molon said.
Since the outbreak in the country, Eastern Visayas has confirmed a total of 653 cases, based on the DOH monitoring report.
Molon said 610 patients have already recovered and three from Leyte, Biliran, and Samar died due to Covid-19 complications.
The surge of coronavirus infections in the region started on June 1 due to testing of returning residents, including overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and locally stranded individuals (LSI), mostly from Metro Manila and Cebu.
Of the region’s total confirmed cases, 431 are LSIs, 52 are OFWs, three are Balik Probinsya, Balik Pag-asa beneficiaries while the remaining 167 are local cases.
To date, the region has 40 active patients, who remain in isolation or quarantine facilities and have not yet recovered from the disease, the DOH said. (PNA)
