LSIs may have to wait a little longer

PEOPLE WHO wanted to return to Zamboanga City or nearby provinces may have to wait a little longer for local governments in the region to decide whether to allow them to come home or not.

This was also echoed by Mayor Beng Climaco who said the temporary moratorium on the return of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) to Zamboanga depends on the on the consensus among the different local governments in the region. 

“The lifting of suspension (of the moratorium) will depend on the consensus among the different local government units in the region. This remains under the concerted synchronized effort of the City Government of Zamboanga and the different local government units in the Zamboanga-BASULTA (Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi) area,” she said.

The moratorium was issued based on a resolution approved by the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases in October. The freeze was imposed due to the continued closure of the neighboring borders on top of limited quarantine facilities to accommodate returning LSIs. 

Climaco said the number of active Covid-19 cases in Zamboanga City continues to drop due to the local government’s unrelenting efforts in fighting the spread of the deadly respiratory disease. 

Zamboanga now has over 100 active cases from more than 700 in the previous weeks, but while the situation has drastically improve, Chief Covid frontliner Mayor Beng Climaco said residents should not be complacent and must strictly follow health protocols and quarantine guidelines. 

Despite the low number of active Covid-19 cases, Climaco emphasized that until there is no available vaccine, the threats of being contaminated by the virus remains high.

“There are improvements and these efforts are really Godsent and they are little celebrations, but this doesn’t mean that we are free from Covid. Our quarantine facilities remain full and we are still in need of an isolation facility with a 1,000-person capacity,” she said. 

She explained that the moratorium will allow the different facilities in the city to respond to the influx of people. “We are trying to hold off the entry of people so we can properly manage the Covid cases in the city and ensure our hospitals will not be overwhelmed,” she said. (Claudine Uniana)

Like Us on Facebook: The Mindanao Examiner
Like Us on Facebook: The Zamboanga Post
Follow Us on Twitter: Mindanao Examine
Mirror Site: Mindanao Examiner Blog
Digital Archives: Mindanao Examiner Digital
Media Rates: Advertising Rates