The COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental have been fewer in the last few days and he hopes it becomes a trend, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said today, November 4.
“I am hoping that the local government units are constantly doing tests so we will know if really we have controlled the cases here in the province,” he said.
Hinoba-an and Salvador Benedicto towns have had zero COVID-19 cases lately.
The Department of Health 6 reported 42 new COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental today and 17 in Bacolod City.
Negros Occidental has the second most number of COVID-19 cases in Western Visayas at 4,841 with 1,526 active cases and 87 deaths.
The governor said the spike in COVID-19 cases in San Carlos City, which helped drive the Negros Occidental COVID-19 cases up earlier, was caused by the complacency of some government workers.
One spreader of the virus was a doctor who was not feeling well but went to office and attended some functions, he said.
“That to me is the cause of a number of government employees in San Carlos City getting infected,” he said.
Lacson said he hopes they learned their lesson because the city officials are doing their best to contain the rise of COVID-19 cases.
Provincial Administrator Ray Diaz said 278 have been hit by COVID-19 cases in San Carlos City, and 130 are active cases.
The San Carlos City government is establishing an Emergency Operations Center to help in its campaign to contain COVID-19 local transmissions, Mayor Renato Gustilo said.
Meanwhile, Lacson said the flattening of the COVID-19 cases in Bacolod City gave him the confidence to order the resumption of the five-day work week at the Capitol starting on Monday, November 9, and the reopening of the Capitol Park to joggers and walkers starting Saturday, November 7.
The governor ordered a four-day work week at the Capitol following a spike of COVID-19 cases in Bacolod City earlier.
Most of the Capitol employees live in Bacolod, he said.*