The Manila Times

Bichara orders strict border control

- RHAYDZ BARCIA

LEGAZPI CITY: Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara has ordered for a strict border control in the boundaries of Camarines Sur and in Sorsogon as a precaution­ary measure to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the province.

According to the executive order released on Monday by Bichara, the entry of persons including vehicles and all types of transporta­tion to the province of Albay by land, air, and sea shall be regulated and should comply with the protocols issued by the Philippine Ports Authority, aviation management and land terminals.

The order was implemente­d on Wednesday at the Albay-Camarines Sur border (Polangui), Tiwi-Camarines Sur border (Tiwi-Sangay Coastal Road), Libon-Camarines Sur border, Tabon-Tabon-Sorsogon border and Pioduran-Masbate border.

The border control, according to the government, shall be set up and manned by uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police in coordinati­on with the provincial government of Albay.

The directive, however, will be easy to those carrying and transporti­ng basic and essential goods to the province.

As to the entry of travelers in Albay, only fully vaccinated individual­s shall be allowed entry in the province. They are required to present any valid identifica­tion card and Covid-19 vaccinatio­n and booster cards from the Department of Health (DoH) at the border checkpoint.

Unvaccinat­ed or partially vaccinated persons may also be allowed to come to Albay provided they present any identifica­tion card and a negative antigen or reverse transcript­ion-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result from any of the DoH accredited facilities issued within 48 hours from the time the specimen was taken upon entering the borders of the province.

Bichara said that local government units (LGUs) should designate specific drop-off points of buses, vehicles, cars, and other modes of land transporta­tion coming from Metro Manila, and monitor that the same is compliant with the rules of entry of individual­s within the province pursuant to the order and should be manned by the designated personnel of each LGU.

As to the prohibitio­n for unvaccinat­ed individual­s, Bichara followed through President Rodrigo Duterte’s directives, as embodied in the Department of the Interior and Local Government press statement dated Jan. 8, 2022, restrictin­g not fully vaccinated individual­s from going out, except to procure essential goods and services such as food, water, medicine or medical devices, public utilities, work, and medical and dental visits.

Vaccinated individual­s must bring vaccinatio­n cards at all times to be presented to village officials and police officers upon request.

Unvaccinat­ed individual­s are banned from indoor and al fresco dining, hotels, country clubs, leisure trips, and similar establishm­ents and public transporta­tion.

Unvaccinat­ed individual­s going to work must present a negative RT-PCR test result every two weeks or will not be allowed to go to work.

All local chief executives may also come up with respective guidelines and protocols.

Meanwhile, cockfighti­ng is still prohibited under the existing Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases rules.

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