The town of Magsaysay tightened its border controls on Saturday (May 15) to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. Mayor Manuel Abrea told Palawan News Saturday that as part of their effort to contain the virus, travel to and from Cuyo town is temporarily suspended until May 31.
They also set up a checkpoint to prevent travels from the neighboring town of Cuyo which at present has three active cases. Authorized persons outside residence (APOR) and those who have essential needs are exempted from the travel ban but they must present coordination slips, local government unit acceptance, mandatory 14-day facility quarantine, and negative antigen test result on the 7th day of quarantine.
“Nagkaroon ng cases sa Cuyo at dito may dalawang nag-positive sa antigen kaya maghihigpit talaga tayo. Bawal muna ang lalabas at papasok dito sa bayan para maiwasan. Wala pang kaso dito sa Magsaysay,” Abrea said.
He added that the policy was agreed upon by the members of the Magsaysay Incident Management Team IMT) during its meeting on May 12, but is still subject to the approval of the Regional IATF.
“Hindi pa ito approve ng region pero medyo matagal pa kasi [kung hihintayin ma-approve] kaya simula Saturday, may checkpoints na para wala na munang bumiyahe papunta [at pabalik] galing sa Cuyo,” he said.
Other activities like cockfighting are also prohibited. Mass gatherings including weddings, birthdays, wake, and the barter within the island barangays are required to have clearance from the Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 (MIATF) since May 12.
All public market vendors and shoppers including Lucbuan Barangay Market are also encouraged to require a login record book for contact tracing purposes and follow all protocols such as using alcohol, wearing a face mask and face shield.
