NEGROS Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson will write a letter to the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) to request a two-week suspension of inbound flights from Metro Manila to the Bacolod-Silay Airport.
The planned request came after the recent surge in Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila.
Lacson said he also discussed the matter with Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr.
The NIATF on Sunday, March 21, 2021, denied the request of Treñas and Defensor to temporarily stop its flight operations due to the surging number of Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila.
The task force disapproved of the proposal to halt travels to the region until next month.
Treñas confirmed the information after talking to NIATF chief implementer Carlito Galvez.
In Negros Occidental, Lacson issued Executive Order (EO) 21-18 last week, requiring travelers bound to the province to present a negative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result not earlier than 72 hours before their travel.
Travelers should also obtain an S-PaSS permit and download the StaySafe.Ph applications.
Lacson said the provincial government will also offer voluntary swabbing and quarantine at the airport and seaports.
Inboard passengers shall no longer be required to undergo facility quarantine but instead be required to undergo a seven-day home quarantine upon arrival, the EO said.
