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The Silay City government has locked down a church and an office at the city hall to prevent the further spread of coronavirus.In a special executive order issued by Mayor Mark Golez on May 14, he said the Victory Church at Zamora-Gamboa Street will be placed under zoning containment or temporary lockdown from May 14 until May 28 for disinfection, sanitation and decontamination measures.This, after five members of the church tested positive for the virus, the order said.Under the temporary lockdown, no person will be allowed entry to the area, and all persons affected are required to undergo strict quarantine measures and to exercise the required minimum health and safety standards.The order also said that it suspends social gatherings by public and private sectors.In a...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson assured Tuesday, May 18, that the transport of essential goods between Negros and Panay will remain unimpeded should a seven-day travel moratorium be granted.The Western Visayas Regional Inter-Agency Task Force recommended a moratorium on travel between Negros and Panay for seven days, which needs the approval of the national IATF, to contain the spread of COVID-19.Some members of the business community are against the move. It will cause a loss of about P50 million in revenues, Frank Carbon, chief executive officer of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Monday.Lacson said they have not been notified by the NIATF on its decision.What will be affected by the moratorium will be non-essential travel for tourism an...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is strongly encouraging all provincial government employees to submit themselves for inoculation against COVID-19, with the “Barangay Kapitolyo” vaccination drive set to start Thursday, May 20.“We cannot force anybody, but we will strongly encourage them to take this opportunity. Experts tell us that the vaccine would be the final solution for us to end this pandemic,” he said.We are already wearing face masks and shields, and practicing social distancing and proper hygiene, vaccination is part of the whole protocol in the fight against COVID-19, he said.The Barangay Kapitolyo mass vaccination will start with senior citizens and persons with comorbidities on Thursday, to be followed by the rest of the employees, Provincial Administrato...

Bacolod PIO photoThe City of Bacolod has been identified as one of the four Philippine cities, including Muntinlupa, Baguio, and Iligan, to be the case study sites for a project that aims to capacitate local government units (LGUs) in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and coping with the new normal.Mayor Evelio Leonardia and other city officials were invited to attend an online orientation meeting, Wednesday, May 19, to officially introduce the project and discuss details of the engagement, a press release from the Bacolod Public Information Office said.“We are grateful for this rare chance for our City to avail of the expertise of these people in the handling of public health emergencies. I am sure that whatever we will learn from them will greatly help us fight COVID more effe...

Negros Occidental Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time Monday, May 17.An emergency room nurse and a molecular laboratory staff at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City also tested positive for COVID-19 bringing to 46 the total number of COVID-19 positive Capitol employees, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.Ko, who was hit by COVID-19 in the first week of April, said he lost his sense of smell on Saturday night and developed a hoarse voice so he had himself swabbed for an RT-PCR test.His positive test result came out Monday and he will again be quarantined at the Mambukal Resort in Murcia, he said.Earlier, two executive assistants of the governor and a department head tested positive for COVID-19....

The Department of Health on Monday, May 17, downgraded Bacolod City’s COVID-19 risk classification from moderate to low risk.Dr. Bea Camille Natalaray, in a DOH “Isyung Bakuna” online briefing on the COVID-19 situation in the Western Visayas Monday, said the daily COVID-19 attack rates in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City have dropped leading to both areas being classified as low risk.She said Bacolod’s daily COVID-19 attack rate of 11.36 percent from April 20 to May 3 dropped to 6.39 percent from May 4 to 17.Negros Occidental’s daily COVID-19 attack rate of 6.53 percent from April 20 to May 3 dropped to 2.67 percent from May 4 to 17.Negros Occidental last week was also classified as low risk.Western Visayas' overall daily attack rate also dropped placing the region in...

Vaccination at Mandalagan Elementary School Monday, May 17.*City PIO photoMore Sinovac vaccines are set to arrive in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City Tuesday, May 18, as the mass vaccination of health workers, senior citizens and persons with comorbities continues.Negros Occidental and Bacolod City will receive 3,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines each Tuesday, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz and City Administrator Em Ang said Monday, May 17.Ang, who is also Bacolod Emergency Operations Center executive director, said 3,568 Bacolod residents were inoculated with AstraZeneca vaccines on Monday in 14 sites.Vaccinated at Ayala Malls Capitol Central were 564, SMX Convention Center - 369, Villamonte - 478, Taculing - 408, Mansilingan - 211, Andres Bonifacio Elementary Schoo...

Mayor Richard Jaojoco has placed 32 houses at Crossing Central Danao in Barangay San Jose, Toboso, Negros Occidental, under granular lockdown effective 5 p.m. Monday, May 17.The seven-day lockdown from May 17 to 24 will give way to contact tracing and disinfection, he said.Packs containing 10 kilos of rice, 20 can goods and mineral water were distributed to each affected household Monday afternoon, he said.The lockdown was implemented after six residents of Barangay San Jose tested positive for COVID-19, he said.Contact tracing is underway, especially because one of those who tested positive owns a store and had contact with a lot of people, Jaojoco said.*