Northern Samar, Ifugao brace for returning residents

MANILA, Philippines — Local government units (LGUs) in Northern Samar and Ifugao are bracing for the return of their provincemates who were stranded in areas placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Northern Samar mayors in a meeting with Gov. Edwin Ongchuan on Friday around 1,000 residents per municipality are expected to return once areas under ECQ shift to general community quarantine (GCQ).

The local chief executives said isolation and treatment facilities should be ready by May 15.

Catherine Miral of the Northern Samar health office cited the proposal of the provincial incident management team to require returning residents to present a certification that they tested negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Ongchuan said the provincial government would initially procure 600 rapid test kits.

He also bared plans to extend the GCQ in the border towns of San Isidro, Lope de Vega and Allen amid an increase in the number of confirmed cases in Western Samar and Luzon.

In Ifugao, Hungduan Mayor Casan Dumulag said the town is ready to accept returning residents.

In an executive order issued on Friday, Dumulag said stranded residents should inform his office two days before their arrival through his staff members Minda Aliguyon (09175681315), Melchora Anudon (09059407511) and Sheryl Ananayo (09057100474).

Dumulag said returning residents would undergo quarantine for 14 days in a designated health facility in their barangay. 

In Alfonso Lista town, 40 residents stranded in Baguio City and other parts of Luzon arrived on Thursday.

Mayor Edlarin Alipio said 33 of the returning residents came from Baguio City, two from Manila and seven from Pangasinan.

The Department of Health regional office in the Cordilleras said there are 42 COVID-19 cases in Ifugao. Twenty-two of the patients have recovered while one died.