CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)–The 123 passengers who arrived here from Cebu, June 15 to June 21 came before the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) imposed a travel ban on Cebu province, June 19.
“The passengers, who arrived in the city after the ban, boarded the mercy voyages and sweeper flights that were scheduled before the June 19 ban took effect,” acting City Health Officer Dr. Lorraine Nery said, June 22.
Hours later, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to supervise the COVID-19 response in Cebu City.
Four of the 11 active COVID-19 cases here were locally stranded individuals (LSIs) who came from Cebu City and Talisay City in Cebu province.
Mayor Oscar Moreno said City Hall is focusing on expediting the screening, early detection and testing of arrivals from around the country.
Aside from maximizing the use of and decongesting the city isolation units (CIUs), Moreno said efficient and effective screening of arrivals by doctors can spare passengers the inconvenience of waiting for hours to be cleared for either home quarantine or isolation at the CIU.
“What is important is to have trained doctors to screen the passengers and see if they can be quarantined at home or be placed inside the CIUs for testing later on to see if they are COVID-19 positive. They should be isolated to protect their families and their community from infection,” Moreno said. (CIO/PIA10)
