Sixteen local government units (LGUs) in Negros Island have been placed under Alert Level 1 until June 30, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases announced Wednesday, June 15.
Cadiz City and Pontevedra town are the latest additions to the areas in Negros Occidental under Alert Level 1.
The other areas in Negros Occidental that will remain under Alert Level 1 are Bacolod City, Candoni, Victorias City, Enrique B. Magalona, La Carlota City, Pulupandan, Sagay City, and San Enrique.
In Negros Oriental the six areas under Alert Level 1 are Amlan, Bacong, Dauin, Dumaguete City, Valencia and Zamboanguita.
The rest of the LGUs in Negros Occidental and Oriental remain under Alert Level 2.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the 22 other LGUs in Negros Occidental still under Alert Level 2 need to vaccinate 70 percent of their target population against COVID-19 to be deescalated to Alert Level 1.
The performance of each LGU with respect to vaccination is critical in the deescalation of their alert levels, he said.
The provincial government provides the vaccines and additional vaccinators, but local government officials need to convince more of their residents to get vaccinated to be protected against COVID-19 and so Alert Level 2 restrictions in their areas can be lifted, Diaz said.
They are calling on the 22 LGUs to help ramp up their vaccination drives, he said.
A Department of Health report Wednesday, June 15, showed that 63.94 percent of Negros Occidental’s target population had been vaccinated against COVID-19 and 58.83 percent of its target senior citizens.
Western Visayas has fully vaccinated 78.64 percent of its target population and 76.40 percent of its target senior citizens. *
