Three local government units in Negros Occidental have closed all of their tourist destinations to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Provincial Tourism Officer Jennylind Cordero said Friday, April 16.
The three are Himamaylan City, Candoni and Sipalay City, she said.
Other LGUs are also set to close their tourists destinations, while some are operating at 50 to 30 percent capacity only, Cordero said.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has asked local government units with triple digit COVID-19 cases to close down their tourist destinations.
Lacson said he has always given leeway to local government units. “I always think local chief executives know what is best for their areas”, he said.
Mayor Jose Nadie Arceo has issued an executive order suspending activities in Hinigaran on Sundays to curb the spread of COVID-19 local transmissions.
Arceo, in Executive Order No. 025, Series of 2021, ordered the suspension of operations of all public tricycles, and public and private establishments, with exceptions, in Hinigaran every Sunday from April 18 until May 16.
Exempted are drugstores, remittance centers, medical clinics and laboratories, gasoline stations, government infrastructure projects and food preparation establishments, but limited only to take-out and food delivery services, Arceo said.
Salvador Benedicto has closed its resorts, and its restaurants and cafes are operating at 30 percent capacity, Cordero said.
Rides, camping, picnics, trekking and excursions at their waterfalls and rivers are prohibited until April 18, subject to extension, Cordero said.
In La Carlota City, the Guintubdan Pavilion and Mountain Resort, and all government and privately-owned swimming pools are also temporarily closed, she added.
There are less than 100 resorts and accommodation facilities in Negros Occidental that have Department of Tourism certificates of authority to operate, Cordero said.
Those who do not have DOT certificates to operate are doing so illegally, she said.*