EXTENDED QUARANTINE. The Leyte Provincial Capitol in Tacloban City. The entire Leyte province will remain under modified general community quarantine until Jan. 31, 2021, the provincial government announced on Wednesday (Dec. 30, 2020). (PNA file photo)
TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte province will remain under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) for another month to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla signed Executive Order (E.O) No. 12-03-2020 on Tuesday, of which a copy was released Wednesday afternoon, adopting the recommendation of the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, classifying Eastern Visayas under MGCQ from Jan. 1 to 31 next year.
Under the MGCQ, the movement and travel of all residents in the province are unrestricted. However, health and sanitary protocols must be observed especially in crowded and public places.
The entry of all persons either by land, air, or sea is prohibited except for returning overseas Filipino workers, locally stranded individuals (LSIs), and Balik Probinsya, Balik Pag-asa (BP2) program beneficiaries, who must undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine period in their respective local government units upon arrival.
Also exempted from travel ban are authorized persons outside the residence or those workers in essential business establishments and industries, health and emergency front-liners, uniformed personnel, those traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons, skeleton workers, accredited construction workers, delivery personnel of cargo vehicles, among others.
Public utility vehicles are allowed to continue operations, provided they comply with the directive of the Department of Transportation's disinfection and other safety measures.
The directive also allows business establishments to operate provided they equip their office or store disinfectant or sanitizer ready for use of its clientele, and other safety measures.
Activities that will remain prohibited are mass gatherings such as in theaters, fiestas, concerts, clubs, trade fairs, carnivals, cultural shows, sports tournaments, among others.
Petilla said the quarantine period may be shortened or extended depending on the recommendation of the provincial task force against Covid-19.
To date, the province has recorded a total of 5,073 Covid-19 cases, the Department of Health said. (PNA)
