The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has kept 16 out of 31 local government units in Negros Occidental under Alert Level 2 from April 15 to 30.
The 16 LGUs under Alert Level 2 are Bago, Kabankalan, San Carlos, Sipalay, and Escalante cities, and Binalbagan, Calatrava, Cauayan, Hinigaran, Hinoba-an, Isabela, La Castellana, Manapla, Moises Padilla, Salvador Benedicto and Toboso.
Bacolod City and 15 towns and cities in Negros Occidental are under Alert Level 1.
The 15 Negros Occidental LGUs under Alert Level 1 are Cadiz, Himamaylan, Talisay, Victorias, La Carlota, Sagay and Silay cities, and the municipalities of Candoni, EB Magalona, Ilog, Murcia, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, San Enrique and Valladolid, IATF Resolution No. 6-c, Series of 2023 states.
Dumaguete City, Amlan, Bacong, Dauin, Valencia and Zamboanguita in Negros Ooriental are under Alert Level 1, while the rest of the province is under Alert Level 2.
There are also 24 other provinces in the country that remain under Alert Level 2.
However, this is nothing new since these areas have been under the Alert Level 2 category since last year, the IATF said.
“While these areas have reached low risk classifications for cases and utilization rates, these have vaccination rates lower than 70 percent of the target total and population and/or 70 percent of the total A2 population (senior citizens), the IATF added.
Meeting these targets will allow these areas to be de-escalated to Alert Level 1, it added.
Bacolod City had eight new COVID-19 cases and Negros Occidental had four, the Department of Health Western Visayas reported on Sunday.
The same report said Negros Occidental has 299 active COVID-9 cases – the second highest in Western Visayas and Bacolod City has 74.
Iloilo has the highest number of active cases in Western Visayas at 890, the DOH said.
The 24 other areas in the country that remain under Alert Level 2 are:
• Benguet
• Ifugao
• Quezon Province
• Palawan
• Camarines Norte
• Masbate
• Bohol
• Cebu Province
• Leyte
• Western Samar
• Lanao del Norte
• Davao de Oro
• Davao del Norte
• Davao del Sur
• Davao Occidental
• North Cotabato
• Sarangani
• Sultan Kudarat
• Dinagat Islands
• Basilan
• Maguindanao
• Sulu
• Tawi-Tawi
Areas under Alert Level 2 are mandated to implement restrictions such as a 50 percent capacity in establishments indoors for fully vaccinated adults and 70 percent capacity outdoors.
It has not been clarified yet if the rule would be strictly enforced in Negros.*