Baguio City is now preparing to widen its coverage in transportation as ten local government units opened its borders for public utility vehicles coming from the province. Meanwhile, the City of Laoag in Ilocos Norte, which was under the stricter MECQ, was downgraded to localized GCQ following a decrease in cases.
Quarantine Updates: Laoag City placed under GCQ
Starting December 12, 2020, Laoag City will be under localized general community quarantine. This decision was based on the significant decrease of average daily positive COVID-19 cases in the province. The local government continues to urge all its residents to not be complacent, stay vigilant, and observe minimum public health safety protocols at all times. [1] The capital was earlier placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) on November 27.
Transportation News: LGUs opened borders for Baguio PUVs
Ten local government units in Luzon concurred to open their borders for inter-regional routes, especially to public utility vehicles coming from Baguio City. Engr. Januario Borillo, Chief of the Traffic and Transport Management Division of Baguio City, said that the following LGUs informed the city that they will be accepting buses and vans coming from Baguio:
Buses from NCR, Bataan, Zambales, Pampanga, and Tarlac will pass through expressways as per the initially agreed guidelines on the operation of inter-regional routes in the city. In coordination with the concerned local government units, the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board should identify common pick-up and drop-off points in the mentioned provinces. These points will provide isolation rooms with medical staff and shall be inside the respective bus and van terminals with a triage area for incoming passengers.
Stop-overs will not be allowed and will only be used during medical emergency cases. Driver and conductor substitution and pick-up of passengers along the route will not be allowed as well. A list of commuter and provincial bus routes will be issued by the LTFRB upon approval of the concerned LGUs.
Baguio will be limiting the number of passengers allowed to travel to and from their jurisdiction every day. The number of buses deployed will be based on the said passenger number. Only eight buses per day are allowed initially, and the entry of those buses in the central triage will have an interval of at least 1 hour. [2]
Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Northern Luzon.
Sources:
[1] http://bit.ly/2Kwp4Q9
[2] http://bit.ly/2WqI9px
About Yoorekka Team
Yoorekka’s team is composed of talented writers from all over the Philippines with varied interests, from creative writing to environmental advocacy. There is one thing that they share, though: they’re all passionate about producing articles that are not only interesting to read but also useful for anyone reading!
Disclaimer: All articles in the Consumers Magazine of Yoorekka are
for general information and entertainment purposes only. Although
careful research has been made in writing them, Yoorekka does not
make any warranty about the completeness and accuracy of all
information presented in our articles. Our content is not intended
to be used in place of legal, medical, or any professional advice.