Basilan gov't imposes 15-day suspension of residents' return to province

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The National Task Force Against Covid-19 has approved a 15-day moratorium on return to Basilan of residents stranded in Metro Manila due to the nationwide anti-coronavirus quarantine.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Basilan swelled alarmingly in the past two weeks after a large number of stranded individuals already infected with coronavirus while still outside started arriving in the province.

Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman said Tuesday the provincial government has intensified its coronavirus containment efforts in the province after a spike in the number of local COVID-19 cases from only three last June to 75 by July 6.

He said his request for the temporary suspension of the return from Metro Manila to the island province of locally stranded individuals was approved by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, chairman of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, via a formal letter dated July 1.

Lorenzana’s letter to the provincial government allowing a 15-day reprieve from the return of Basilan residents was received by Salliman’s office only last Monday.

"This will boost our efforts to address the needs of the residents who have just returned from different regions who tested positive to COVID-19," Salliman said. 

Basilan supposedly only had five COVID-19 cases since President Rodrigo Duterte declared a national state of emergency last March until early June.

The office of Salliman, who is chairperson of the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council, have facilitated since May 28 the return of 1,983 constituents  to the island province from different regions where they got stranded due to the anti-COVID-19 quarantine.

“We are thankful to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for approving our request to temporarily suspend the return of Basilan residents from Metro Manila,” Salliman said.