THE Provincial Government of Guimaras has restricted the movement of people to and from the Municipality of Nueva Valencia, as the town saw a sudden surge of Covid-19 cases.

Governor Samuel Gumarin issued Executive Order 33, series of 2021 on August 11, imposing stricter travel protocols to arrest the spread of the virus in Nueva Valencia.

As of August 11, Nueva Valencia has 78 active cases, of which 60 were recorded in the last five days.

Thirteen out of 22 barangays of Nueva Valencia have active cases of Covid-19, with the villages of Salvacion (25 cases), Magamay (24 cases), Pandaraonan (10 cases), and Poblacion (7 cases) mostly affected.

Gumarin said the initiative was taken to prevent further escalation of coronavirus infection in the town, dubbed as the tourism capital of the province.

"We have to act swiftly and decisively. Ang sitwasyon subong sa banwa sang Nueva Valencia is very alarming. Indi na naton paghulaton pa nga mag-balloon na naman ang cases sa probinsiya sang Guimaras para indi ma-overwhelm ang aton mga quarantine kag health care facilities," Gumarin said.

All people in Nueva Valencia will only be allowed to leave their homes to access basic necessities, medical reasons and some meritorious grounds as may be determined by the Provincial Government effective August 11, 2021.

Meanwhile, residents of the municipalities of Buenavista, Jordan, San Lorenzo and Sibunag are prohibited from going to Nueva Valencia except for reasons of work, medical reasons, and purchase of essential goods.

A travel pass shall be required for those who will go to and from the town of Nueva Valencia.

As of Wednesday, August 11, Guimaras has 1,380 confirmed cases of Covid-19, where 145 are active cases and 1,199 have recovered.

The island has 36 Covid-19 deaths. (PR)