A Capitol official has clarified that locally stranded individuals (LSI) from Cebu province may still enter Bohol if they are travelling from any other locality other than Cebu City or Talisay City which are considered as COVID-19 hotspots.

According to Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Anthony Damalerio, trips from Argao to Loon and Mandaue City to Tubigon were still permitted.

“Padayonon g’yud nato og dawat. Wala pa may guidelines g’yud gikan sa national IATF na on hold expect for [Cebu City] and Talisay with increasing number of COVID positive cases,” he said in an interview Thursday morning.

The PDRRMO chief however emphasized that LSIs should still secure the requirements needed for their travel including a medical certificate from a government physician and travel authority from the Philippine National Police.

LSIs are also now required to acquire a letter of acceptance from the local government unit (LGU) of their destinations before boarding Bohol-bound vessels.

The requirement was implemented to ensure that LGUs are prepared to facilitate their transportation upon arrival and quarantine.

“To disallow walk-ins, mangayo g’yud og letter of acceptance sa matag LGU pud ang mga LSI. Para maka-andam ang lungsod sa extraction vehicle and medical team na motagbo,” he said.

Trips to and from Cebu City were suspended last week as cases of the new coronavirus continued to climb in the highly urbanized city.

As of Sunday, Department of Health 7 data showed that 4, 797 of the 6,276 COVID-19 cases in Cebu province were recorded in Cebu City which is now considered as the epicenter of the virus’ outbreak in the region.