Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is urging students returning to face-to face classes on Monday, August 22, to be mindful not just of COVID-19, but also of dengue.
“We want you back in school healthy and safe,” Lacson said on Sunday.
Bacolod City is on alert for the opening of classes, Mayor Alfredo Benitez also said.
There are 12,368 or 97.60 percent of the teaching and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education – Division of Negros Occidental who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, DepEd Negros Occidental spokesperson Ian Arnold Arnaez said.
He also said 13 percent have received booster shots.
“It was March of 2020 when schools sent their students home at the onset of the COVID pandemic. And now, after two school years of online and modular learning, we are finally opening our schools to our learners,” Lacson said.
The governor said he wishes the students all the best as they resume face-to-face classes.
“Please also bear in mind, that this is now the New Normal of your education. As such, you are expected to be more responsible than in the past since we are still in the course of a pandemic. I urge all of you to be mindful not just of COVID, but also of dengue,” he added.
To the school administrators, teachers, and the non-teaching staff, Lacson said “you have gone to great lengths to help our students. You were the ones who refused to give up and demonstrated not just consistency of purpose but also creativity and innovation, as driven by your passion to make sure that learning persists. You are greatly appreciated.”*