Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government on Thursday, May 6, began denying S-PaSS applications of travelers seeking permission to enter Negros Occidental towns and cities whose quarantine facilities are full.
Lacson said the provincial government will not ask for a moratorium on travel to Negros Occidental amid the surge in COVID-19 cases as there are some local government units (LGUs) that are still okay.
However, they will deny entry of travelers into areas, especially with triple-digit COVID-19 cases, whose quarantine facilities are full, he said.
Negros Occidental on Wednesday had 2,565 active COVID-19 cases. The province also had 209 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the Department of Health reported.
“Everyday we are creating a new record as the COVID cases continue to increase,” Lacson said.
Most of the cases are local transmissions and LGUs with overflowing quarantine facilities are sending their residents to the provincial government quarantine facilities, Lacson said.
Travelers entering Negros Occidental are tested for COVID on arrival and quarantined.
However, if they have COVID-19 negative RT-PCR test results taken within 72 hours prior to their arrival in Negros Occidental they will be allowed into the province but must go on home quarantine at the discretion of the LGU, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.
Diaz said the occupancy rate of the provincial government’s quarantine facilities had reached critical levels.
The Cadiz Provincial Quarantine Facility that has a capacity for 107 has 175 occupants and the EB Magalona Provincial Quarantine Facility that has capacity for 107 has 179 occupants, Zeaphard Caelian, Provincial Incident Management Team head, said.
The Silay Isolation Quarantine Facility is also fully occupied, while the Mambukal Resort Quarantine Facility that has a capacity for 98 has 69 occupants.
The LGUs total quarantine capacity is 3,132 and available beds are 954, Caelian added.
Meanwhile, Diaz said a security guard at the provincial government Procurement Services Depot tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday. Ten of 15 employees at the depot also tested positive for the virus earlier.*
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