Palapag town in Northern Samar has imposed a travel ban for returning residents starting Tuesday due to the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the Eastern Visayas region.

In a resolution released Monday night by the local inter-agency task force addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, the moratorium covering locally stranded individuals (LSI) and returning overseas Filipinos will take effect until Jan. 31.

“All acceptance letters, certificate of acceptance, or coordination letters already issued by the barangay (village) for any inbound travel within this period will be automatically revoked,” the resolution stated.

The directive came after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Health confirmed that the region is now tagged as a high-risk area for Covid-19 by the World Health Organization due to a sudden increase in cases for the past weeks.

On December 23 and 24, the region recorded 244 and 258 new Covid-19 cases, respectively, its highest daily tally since the start of the global health crisis.

The DILG and DOH urged all local government units in the area to immediately implement measures to combat the further spread of the virus and prevent the spike in cases that could overwhelm the health care system in the region.

In response, the local inter-agency task force on Covid-19 has placed the five villages in the town center–Asum, B. Aquino Jr., Laniwan, Tambangan, and Tinampo– under general community quarantine (GCQ) while the rest of the town under modified GCQ.

All residents who traveled outside Northern Samar but within the region for more than 24 hours would be required to undergo the mandatory quarantine from 10 to 21 days depending on the assessment of the local health personnel.

Meanwhile, those who traveled for less than 24 hours will be isolated for more or less seven days, also depending on the assessment of health personnel.

As of Jan. 2, the town has recorded a total of 58 Covid-19 cases. (PNA)