Apayao under Covid-19 low epidemic risk; new travel, border rules set

By Redjie Melvic M. Cawis

LUNA, Apayao -- The provincial government issued uniform guidelines for travelers coming into the province following the Provincial Inter Agency Task Force meeting March 1.
    This, after the Apayao Provincial Health Office reported the province Covid-19 epidemic level down is now down to “low risk” with four of its municipalities under “new normal” epidemic risk level.
    Apayao Provincial Health Officer 1 Dr. Mark Calban, in the DOH Cordillera-led media forum here reported  as of Feb. 22 data, the province was under low risk epidemic level with a 2 – week growth rate (2WGR) of – 17 and Average Daily Attack Rate of 1.08 per 100,000 population.
    Per municipality, the towns of Pudtol, Sta. Marcela, Calanasan and Cabugao are under “new normal”, Conner is under low risk while Flora and Luna are under moderate risk. 
    Gov. Eleanor Bulut-Begtang issued executive order 08 series of 2021 updating guidelines of the General Community Quarantine in the province adhering to  National Inter Agency Task Force resolution 101.
    The Provincial IATF decided to maintain provincial border control points or checkpoints locate at the entry and exit points of the province namely at Barangay Quirino in the municipality of Luna; Malekkeg in the municipality of Santa Marcela; Turayok in the municipality of Conner; and in Santa Elena, Santa Filomena, Parina, Bucarot and Butao in the municipality of Calanasan.
    The provincial border checkpoints shall be manned 24/7 by Apayao police, army personnel with health personnel from municipal government units or rural health units.
    Luna and Pudtol, Santa Marcela and Flora, Conner and Kabugao and Calanasan LGUs shall coordinate on health personnel to be assigned in border control points.
     The Apayao PPO through provincial police director Col. Peter Tagtag, will organize the deployment team from provincial police headquarters and the respective municipal police stations to man the border control points.
    Health personnel MLGUs and RHUs preferably those assigned at the municipal quarantine facilities will man the control points with the police or military officers.
    Clinical and exposure assessment shall be strictly implemented in all the provincial border control points to ensure that only asymptomatic and non-close contact individuals are allowed to travel or enter the local government units of destination.
Health assessment of travelers, supervised by medical doctors, shall be mandatory upon entry and exit of the LGU of destination.
    Individuals or travelers such as returning residents and locally stranded individuals coming to Apayao will no longer be undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine and will not be swab tested thru the RT PCR five days upon arrival.  However, it shall be mandatory for symptomatic travelers who would be screened at the border control points to be swab tested and be placed on quarantine by the concerned LGU while waiting for the results of the swab test.
    Returning OFWs need to present a negative RT PCR result before being allowed entry to the province.
     Travel authority issued by the Joint Task Force COVID Shield and health certificates shall no longer be required for travelers but Authorized Persons Outside Residences (APORs) from the national government agencies and their attached agencies must provide their identification cards, travel orders, and travel itinerary, and must pass the symptom screening at the provincial border checkpoints before being allowed entry to the province.
    The PIATF said since Apayao is still under GCQ, the movement of all persons shall be limited to accessing essential goods and services, and for work in the offices or industries permitted to operate while movement for leisure purposes shall not be allowed. -- PIA Cordillera