BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental said travel restrictions will likely return if cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Metro Manila continue to go up.
The current surge in cases is being blamed on the lax observance of minimum health protocols, and the more transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Negros Occidental governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said they will continue strictly adhering to the S-PaSS system.
“We are all [nationwide] under Alert Level 2. Only Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3,” Lacson said.
Despite doubts that the province will be able to achieve herd immunity by February, Lacson said the vaccination campaign in the province should be further ramped up.
Overall, the COVID-19 situation in the province is manageable with cases still going down, but Lacson said they are not complacent.
Whenever COVID-19 cases go up in Metro Manila, other provinces also experience the same, he pointed out.
In a statement released on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2021, the Department of Health (DOH) warned that of a high probability of exponential growth due to the continued decreased adherence to minimum public health standards and the detection of local cases with Omicron variant.
DOH previously detected three local cases of the Omicron variant.
Malacañang placed the entire National Capital Region under Alert Level 3 from Jan. 3 to Jan. 15, 2022./PN
