ONLY limited personnel classified as authorized persons outside residence (Apors) will be allowed to cross the channel from Iloilo City to Negros Occidental and vice versa amid the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status of Iloilo City caused by its rising coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, according to Philippine Coast Guard-Iloilo Station Commander Edison Diaz.
Diaz said only health workers, humanitarian workers, and members of the uniformed service such as policemen and soldiers will be allowed to travel as Apors to and from the said areas during the duration of the travel moratorium, which started on Monday, May 24, 2021, and will last until May 31.
Diaz clarified that the transport of cargoes, essential goods, and deliveries between Iloilo and Negros will continue as normal.
The suspension of trips between the two islands within the Western Visayas region is based on an advisory issued by the Regional Task Force-Western Visayas and the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force after Iloilo City was placed on MECQ status due to the continued rise in Covid-19 cases in the metro.