MANILA, Philippines – Trips from Metro Manila to Basilan, Lanao del Sur, and Camiguin provinces in Mindanao are prohibited until July 15, Joint Task Force COVID Shield chief Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar said on Tuesday, July 7.

In a statement, Eleazar said travel passes will not be issued until July 15 for stranded Filipinos, who have been categorized by the government as locally stranded individuals (LSIs).

Eleazar said the decision to stop homebound travel to these provinces came from Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who chairs the National Task Force on COVID-19. (READ: Gov’t suspends bringing back stranded individuals to Western, Eastern Visayas)

Why does this matter? Stranded individuals are required to get travel passes before they can make their journey home on their own or through the help of the government.

The travel bans will be enforced, Eleazar said, because the quarantine facilities of the provinces have reached their maximum capacity ever since lockdowns were eased. (READ: Metro Manila ICU capacity nears ‘maximum’ limit)

As of Tuesday, the Philippines has recorded a total of 47,873 virus cases, including 1,309 deaths and 12,386 recoveries.

The Philippines has the second highest number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia, second only to Indonesia, which has recorded 64,958 cases as of Monday, July 6. – Rappler.com