NegOcc running out of quarantine rooms

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Almost 90 percent of the quarantine facilities in Negros Occidental are now occupied, according to Provincial Incident Management Team (PIMT) head Dr. Zeaphard Caelian.

Caelian said 541 of the 605 quarantine facilities are fully occupied, or an 89 percent utilization rate.

Caelian said the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental is encountering difficulties in controlling the spread of COVID-19 cases after another day of triple-digit increase in cases this week.

The current quarantine classification for the province is also another reason why they are finding it hard to control the spread of the virus.

He said the provincial government had tried to ask for suggestions and guidance from the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF).

The provincial government also appealed for Negros Occidental to be placed under a strict quarantine classification. But the NIATF disapproved the requests.

Meanwhile, Caelian said Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson is planning to add more quarantine facilities in the province to accommodate persons arriving to the province.

Caelian also said that he will leave the decision to the governor and Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz if they would again ask for a travel moratorium to free up the province’s quarantine facilities and to control localized transmissions.

As of May 5, 2021, the province has 2,565 active COVID-19 cases.