Batanes needs aircraft to transport basic needs of Ivatans amid flight cancellations

BASCO, Batanes, March 21 (PIA) - - Due to the cancellation of flights as a measure to contain spread of the Corona Virus 2019 (COVID-19), the Ivatan chief is requesting the government to provide air assets to transport important goods and other necessities into the island province.

Acting Governor Ignacio Villa requests to authorities air assets to bring into the
island basic commodities.
(by PIA) 

Acting Governor Ignacio Villa said there is no other means to immediately bring into the island the important needs of the people but through air transport facilities as cargo vessels entail days to reach the province.

“Actually, I am not in favor of the total cancellation of flights but we need to adhere with the policy. What we want to request supposed to be is to allow at least one aircraft to bring in our needs like the testing kits for our persons-under-investigation,” he said.

He added that they request the army’s air assets to possibly airlift their patients need to be transferred to hospitals in Manila.

“We have patients undergoing chemotherapy, major operations and others with highly sensitive health conditions but they are not related to COVID-19. We need aircrafts to transport them,” Villa said.

With the implementation of the Luzonwide community quarantine, Villa said they strictly follow the guidelines set by the national government.

“We need to continue the conduct of checkpoints in all entry and exit points. We need our uniformed personnel like the police, army and others to accompany our health emergency management teams to put into order the implementation of the community quarantine,” Villa said.

As of now, he said Batanes’ food supply is still enough for the next few days but he is already coordinating with other agencies to ensure supply of basic commodities for the succeeding weeks until the situation will be back to normal.

The tourism industry, which is the lead economic propeller of the province, is greatly affected but, Villa said, they need to take precautionary measures to ensure that the island will not be infected with the virus, that’s why all tourism activities were temporarily shut down.

He also said there are 16 stranded tourists from Manila who failed to catch the last flight before the implementation of the no fly policy amid COVID-19 threat. (MDTC/OTB/PIA Cagayan-Batanes)

source https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1036788