BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental’s local chief executives are seeking a stricter quarantine classification following the rise in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the province.
The province is experiencing a “second wave” of COVID-19, according to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, thus tighter curbs are needed.
Yesterday, Lacson convened his city and town mayors. They agreed that the province needed to be placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) for two weeks.
Lacson would write the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases about their request.
What will happen if the request is approved?
Fewer people would be allowed to go out, Lacson said.
Some cities may also close their borders anew.
The provincial government would also impose a unified curfew – from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. – among local government units (LGUs).
In April 7 alone, the province logged 86 new local cases; only three were tagged as locally stranded individuals, Lacson stressed.
The government said it is currently difficult for them to control the local COVID-19 transmission but he nonetheless reminded LGUs to remain vigilant and further strengthen their public health safety efforts, particularly contact tracing.
Granular lockdowns are also being proposed, especially in areas with a “rapid spread of new COVID-19 cases.”
The LGUs were also given the authority to make decisions best suited for protecting the local populace.
As this was being written, the province had 7,973 total confirmed coronavirus cases – 742 were active, 7,001 recoveries and 230 deaths.
The entire Western Visayas is currently under modified general community quarantine.
Negros Occidental has been under the lighter community quarantine status since June last year./PN
