Uniform protocol for NegOcc, NegOr eyed

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental provincial government administrator Rayfrando Diaz said they will wait for the proposal of their counterpart in Negros Oriental on COVID-19 protocols and travel guidelines.

The two Negros island provinces are now looking into implementing uniform protocols and travel guidelines.

By implementing uniform protocols, this will not hamper the movement of the people and transactions in the two provinces, according to Dr. Liland Estacion, Provincial Health Officer of Negros Oriental.

Negros Oriental has 147 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and two mortalities on. It also reported 196 active COVID-19 cases, with Dumaguete City having the most number of cases at 73, while Tayasan, Ayungon and La Libertad towns have zero cases.

Estacion reported that Negros Oriental has a 25 percent admission rate in both private and government hospitals.

The two Negros provinces have been added by the National Inter Agency Task Force to areas in the country that were placed under Alert Level 3 due to increasing COVID-19 cases.

The Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health and Development reported Friday 74 additional COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental and 57 more in Bacolod City

Negros Occidental now has 765 active cases.

At the same time, occupants of the Cadiz and Silay quarantine facilities are also increasing.

The Alert Level 3 status in Negros Occidental will be implemented starting today, Jan 16 until 31, 2022, based on the executive order issued Friday by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.

As stipulated in the provisions of the executive order, persons below 18 years of age, senior citizens, and those with comorbidities shall only be allowed to travel to obtain essential goods and services, work permitted industries and offices and individual outdoor exercises.

It also reduced outdoor venue capacity to 50 percent, regardless of vaccination status in limited operation establishments, while indoor venue capacity is reduced to 30 percent and must only cater to fully vaccinated individuals.

Infected individuals with no, as well mild symptoms will be placed under home quarantine and isolation, pursuant to Department of Health Circular No. 2022-0002, Series of 2022.