Baguio, Benguet towns impose border control anew

MANILA, Philippines — The mayors of Baguio City, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay in Benguet agreed yesterday to impose border restrictions again from Jan. 10 to 24 to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.

In a joint advisory, the six local chief executives said the move would give them time to manage their health resources.

The border restrictions were first imposed from Dec. 16 to 22 and Dec. 27 to 31.

Entry to the six areas will be allowed only for work, official business and access to essential goods and services.

The mayors advised their constituents to bring their valid government IDs as proof of residence aside from health declaration forms when going out.

Health workers, uniformed personnel, members of the city, provincial and municipal contact tracing teams, local government employees and COVID-19 task force members are exempted from the travel ban.

Also exempted are cargo and logistics services and service providers for water, electricity, telecommunications and waste management utilities.

Non-residents must present their travel authority and permit.

As this developed, in Cagayan, eight personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.

The provincial health office said the firefighters were exposed to their colleague who was found infected on Jan. 3.

In Kalinga, the Department of Education division office in Tabuk City was placed on lockdown after an employee was exposed to an infected teacher.

The province logged 12 cases on Wednesday. – Raymund Catindig