BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Local government units (LGUs) with triple-digit cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) should implement granular lockdowns, said Negros Occidental’s Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
The provincial government will open more rooms at the Mambukal Resort in the town of Murcia to accommodate more patients from government agencies, he said yesterday.
If the quarantine facilities in the LGUs are congested, Lacson said, they would have to utilize more classrooms.
He also reiterate he would no longer request for a moratorium for inbound travel to Negros Occidental. Instead, he suggested that LGUs with no vacancies in their quarantine facilities should stop accepting travelers.
“While there are LGUs with triple-digit active cases of COVID-19, there are also towns and cities with low cases,” Lacson said.
Getting the approval from the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force for another travel moratorium will be difficult since the previous request was already extended two weeks ago, he added.
“The problem here is economics,” said Lacson, pointing out that the national government will no longer provide subsidy to the local government.
Based on records released by Provincial Incident Management Team head Dr. Zeaphard Caelian last week, the EB Magalona Healing Center is now overloaded with patients. The facility could supposed accommodate only 107 patients. As of May 6, 179 patients now occupy the quarantine facility.
The Mambukal Mountain Resort is also nearing capacity with 62 of the 88 available beds now occupied./PN
