Citing the devastating effects of super typhoon “Rolly” in Catanduanes, the Bicol Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has approved the request of the provincial government for the suspension of inbound travel of all returning residents from Metro Manila and other places in the country.
In a resolution adopted Nov. 6, 2020 during a special meeting via teleconferencing, the IATF said the suspension of all inbound travel to Catanduanes ot Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) and Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) will be good for one (1) month beginning Nov. 7, 2020, subject to weekly assessment by the task force.
Two days earlier, on Nov. 4, Governor Joseph Cua wrote the IATF requesting a halt in the repatriation of returning Catandunganons, alleging the lack of resources and quarantine facilities.
The chief executive stated that the local governments’ resources are being depleted by the continued relief operations due to typhoon Quinta and now super typhoon Rolly while the quarantine facilities have been decimated by the recent typhoon.
Cua said the province prefers to deploy its personnel instead to critical areas and their resources diverted to food and shelter assistance, especially to the thousands who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the typhoon.
“Some members of the Bicol IATF who have gone to the province attested to the grounds cited,” the resolution noted.
Under National IATF Resolution No. 71, s. 2020, the decision on requests of said nature has already been delegated to the Regional IATFs.
For sometime now since a few days before and after Rolly struck on Nov. 1, 2020, Catanduanes has registered zero new COVID-19 cases.
It could not be determined whether this is due to the possibility that no new swab testing has been done since the two typhoons hit the island one after the other in a space of a week.