The Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas raised the COVID-19 risk classification of Negros Occidental to high and its alert level to three in a situational report released Thursday, January 13.
However, the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) on Wednesday did not raise the alert level of Negros Occidental to three.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the DOH makes recommendations but the final classification is decided by the NIATF.
Negros Occidental was classified by the DOH as a moderate risk area for transmission on Tuesday, but in its latest report, it raised it to high citing the increase in COVID-19 cases in the province by 466 percent in the past two weeks.
Bacolod City remains a high risk area for COVID-19 under Alert Level 3. Its COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks increased by 341 percent, the DOH also said.
There were 128 new COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental and 57 in Bacolod City, the DOH reported Thursday.
However, a real time report showed that Negros Occidental had 75 new COVID-19 cases and one death in Sipalay City on Thursday, Provincial Administrator Rayfrandro Diaz said.
Of the 75, Bago City had 9, Silay City and Binalbagan – 8 each, Talisay City and Sipalay City – 6 each, Kabankalan City and Escalante City – 5 each, San Carlos City – 4;
Murcia, Isabela and Hinigaran – 3 each, Himamaylan City, Cauayan, Calatrava and Cadiz City – 2 each, and San Enrique, Sagay City, Pontevedra , Moises Padilla, La Carlota City, Ilog and Hinoba-an – 1 each, Diaz said.*