The Department of Education is ready to begin expanded face-to-face (F2F) classes in Western Visayas, including Negros Occidental, as soon as COVID-19 alert levels are lowered, Pedro Escobarte Jr., DepEd 6 assistant regional director, said Tuesday, February 22.
Negros Occidental is currently under Alert Level 2 and could be downgraded to Alert Level 1 in March if its COVID-19 cases continue to drop.
“We are just waiting for Alert Level 1,” Escobarte said.
The DepEd earlier announced that 80 schools in Western Visayas, 60 of which are in Negros Occidental, have been recommended for the expanded limited F2F classes.
The 60 schools recommend for F2F classes in the following schools division offices are: Negros Occidental – 16, Silay City -16, Sagay City- 10, San Carlos City – 8, Cadiz City -4, Escalante City – 3, Himamaylan City -2, and Victorias City -1.
Twenty limited F2F classes that were implemented in WV earlier were cancelled when the alert levels went up, he said.
Escobarte said they want to make sure it is safe for the teachers and learners when F2F classes start.
Close to 100 percent of the teachers in WV have already been vaccinated against COVID-19, he said.
The return to F2F classes is a work in progress to bring about normalcy, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said.
“We will allow face-to-face classes,” Lacson said.*