BUENAVISTA, Guimaras – The provincial government here has imposed a temporary ban of guests – particularly from the affected regions in China – as a precautionary measure against the 2019 novel coronavirus.
Gov. Samuel Gumarin, through an Executive Order No. 15 on Friday, ordered the five town mayors of the province to enforce an identical ban for visitors who could not present a clearance from the Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine (DOH-BOQ).
“While the BOQ remains on high alert and is in constant coordination with authorities from all ports of entry for stricter border surveillance, the province of Guimaras likewise needs to have full vigilance and security in all its entry points,” Gumarin said.
He added although they have no major ports, Guimaras as a small province should take proper actions.
“There is a need for immediate action at the local level, particularly to protect the inhabitants and the agri-tourism industry of the province,” Gumarin said.
According to the provincial tourism office, Guimaras recorded 582 Chinese tourists last year.
Meanwhile, Gumarin said one of the proposals during a separate meeting called by the DOH-BOQ in Western Visayas on Friday was for Filipino-Chinese living in Iloilo to present a clearance that they have no recent travels to places where there are confirmed cases of the nCoV.
“When they travel here they must have papers to show that they have no recent travel to China,” he added.
Gumarin is also waiting for further directive from the DOH on the protocols of preventing the virus from entering the province.(With a report from PNA/PN)
