STAY AT HOME: ECQ in Negros, Bacolod starts

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson Sunday called on Negrenses to cooperate and stay at home with the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) on the province and Bacolod City starting today, March 30, to curb the spread of the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Lacson said the police will not hesitate to apprehend violators.

The governor issued Executive Order No. 20-2020 an order placing the entire province of Negros Occidental under Enhanced Community Quarantine from March 30- April 24, 2020.

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia followed suit and issued Executive Order No. 26-2020 which also placed the city under ECQ within the same period. The quarantine can be extended if circumstances require.

“We are ready, we expect some problems but the key really is cooperation, we hope the people will not make it difficult to implement the ECQ,” Lacson said in a press conference Sunday morning.

He said “this is just for two weeks, this is not a total shutdown, we want most if not all of us to stay at home, to reduce the number of host for the virus or even your family will be affected and you will regret.”

In order to fortify efforts to protect the public from the COVID-19 pandemic, the provincial government is launching the ” Bantay Negrense” campaign.

“We shall declare ‘Hot Zones’ in streets and barangays in the entire province wherein resides one COVID-19 positive patient, 1 Person Under Investigation (PUI) or 5 Persons Under Monitoring (PUM),” he added.

A PUI is a person with signs and symptoms and have travel history to infected areas while PUM is a person who has no signs and symptoms of COVID-19 but has travel history to infected areas and may have been exposed to infected persons.

Lacson also said that “this is our pioneering strategy to promote and campaign public awareness to stay at home, avoid hot zones and report suspected PUMs, PUIs and violators of ECQ.”

“Please remember that strict observance of ECQ is our tool, our weapon for survival in this war against COVID-19 not a favor you do for the government. Kun mag pahimuyong ang tawo, indi ka lagaw ang virus, wala saylohan, wala latnan. Without a host or carrier, COVID-19 dies, it is that simple,” he added.