BY GABRIEL DOMINIQUE BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Domestic flights between Negros Occidental and Cebu are resuming this week after a months-long suspension due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson approved the request of three airlines to resume the flights between the two Visayan cities beginning December.
However, this will be limited to “humanitarian considerations,” according to Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, provincial administrator.
Local carriers will have a flight capacity of 150 passengers.
Based on the initial schedule of flights at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City, Negros Occidental, airlines will operate one flight each.
“Cebu Pacific every Tuesday, Air Asia on Wednesdays and Philippine Airlines every Friday,” said Diaz.
However, on Dec. 24, 25, 31, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2021 the airport will be closed.
This will give frontliners, especially health workers assigned to swab incoming passengers, time to rest and celebrate the holidays, Diaz said.
All incoming passengers from Cebu will be subjected to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test upon arrival, in accordance with the province’s COVID-19 health protocols.
Negros Occidental and Cebu have been under varying levels of community quarantine since March.
For the month of November, the two areas are under the lenient modified general community quarantine.
President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to announce the quarantine classification of various cities and provinces in the country Monday night./PN
