Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said he has opted to restrict the number of flights arriving in Negros Occidental and passengers on sea vessels because although the National Capital Region had been placed under Alert Level 2 its COVID-19 positivity rate is still very high.
Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are under Alert Level 3.
The Department of Health has said that NCR’s COVID-19 positivity rate is 20 percent plus, while the World Health Organization standard is 5 percent that is why we have to be very careful, Lacson said Wednesday, February 2.
Obviously, there was a lot of pressure from the business sector to reduce alert levels but the facts show that NCR’s positivity rate is still very high, he said.
OCTA Research has said the declaration of Alert Level 2 in the NCR is two weeks early, he said.
He stressed the need to be cautious with the threat of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
Under Executive Order No. 22-03, Series of 2022, extending Alert Level 3 in Negros Occidental until February 15, Lacson states that two Manila-Bacolod Manila flights per airline will be allowed per day.
Airlines may also avail of one inbound Manila-Bacolod cargo only flight and one additional outbound passenger flight per day, he said.
One Cebu-Bacolod-Cebu flight per airline is also allowed peer week, he said.
Sea vessels shall be allowed to admit passengers up to 50 percent of their capacity, Lacson added.
Meanwhile, of the 63 passengers who arrived in Negros Occidental who were swabbed for rapid antigen tests only one was reactive on Wednesday, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.*