Bicol Regional Development Council (RDC) chairman and Legazpi City Mayor Noel E. Rosal has reminded all the region’s barangay officials to closely monitor people coming from Metro Manila who are arriving at their respective communities to prevent a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.
Rosal, in an interview on Wednesday, said village officials should always monitor their areas and remind their constituents to follow the minimum health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.
Rosal has been designated by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as the Covid-19 ambassador for Bicol to the BIDA Solution program of the government due to his effective implementation of health protocols here.
“As the RDC chairman in Bicol, I just want to recommend to all the local government units (LGUs) to conceptualize the most effective strategy on how to prevent entry in the region of those travelers from Metro Manila and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR) that are included in the Covid-19 hotspot areas,” he said.
Rosal said people attempting to gain entry to any of the six provinces of Bicol must be able to present valid documents including results of either a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or saliva or antigen test.
On the other hand, DILG regional director and Bicol IATF chairman Anthony Nuyda said they will pass a resolution banning all colorum vehicles including vans and private vehicles that are carrying passengers without essential travel or legal documents.
He added that the IATF is planning to suspend flights from Manila to Legazpi to control the entry of people to Albay and other parts of the Bicol region.
Nuyda said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has also requested the IATF for a dialogue regarding the suspension of flights.
“The members of the Bicol IATF will hold a meeting to tackle the issue of the suspension of flights and then we will ask some recommendations and reactions from the Provincial Government of Albay and to the City Government of Legazpi,” he added.
He said other regions have suspended flights from Metro Manila due to the ballooning cases of coronavirus in the area. (PNA)
