At least 200 Boholano locally stranded individuals (LSI) from Manila are expected to be transported to Bohol in the next days as part of the national government’s “Hatid Probinsya” program.
According to Dr. Yul Lopez, the Capitol’s spokesperson on COVID-19 related matters, the LSIs will be ferried to Bohol onboard Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels.
They will arrive on “July 28 or 29.”
The health official assured that they have made preparations to accommodate the large batch of LSIs from virus-hit Metro Manila.
“For this, we are preparing sa ilang pag-abot. Ipahimutang gihapon ang strikto na 14-day quarantine including ang standard protocol sa pagsugat, screening and disinfection,” he said.
“Hatid Probinsya” is the national government’s massive transportation program for thousands of LSIs who may or may have not been screened for COVID-19 infection.
The program has drawn flak for its perceived poor execution by sending potential virus carriers in droves without proper testing to provinces which have more fragile healthcare systems compared with metropolitan areas where LSIs mostly come from.
Earlier, the Department of Interior and Local Government differentiated the “Hatid Probinsya” program with the “Balik Probinsya” program which was a long-term program designed to help low-income families in Metro Manila resettle in their home provinces.
There are over 70 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bohol, most of them are LSIs. (A. Doydora)