Negros Occidental will not impose any border restrictions on Bacolod City even if it has been placed under Alert Level 3, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Thursday, January 13.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson in Executive Order (EO) No. 21-61, Series of 2021 issued December 31 said travel to and from areas classified under Alert Level 3 and 4 will be restricted and discouraged.
The EO also requires all persons entering Negros Occidental from areas under Alert Level 3 and above to submit negative RT-PCR test results.
Negros Occidental remains under Alert Level 2.
Diaz said the travel restrictions on persons coming from areas under Alert Level 3 will not be imposed on those from Bacolod City.
It will only be imposed on travelers arriving from neighboring islands and other parts of the country under Alert Level 3, he said.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said there will be no lockdown in Bacolod while under Alert Level 3 from January 14 to 31.
Meanwhile, Diaz said rapid antigen tests were recently conducted on transients travelling from Negros Occidental to Cebu and more than 30 were reactive.
They are now quarantined at the Cadiz City Healing Center.
NEW EO
Lacson is set to issue a new EO on the quarantine status of Negros Occidental from January 14 to 31.
The governor wants minors to stay home to protect them from being infected with COVID-19, Diaz said.
Persons not vaccinated against COVID-19 are still allowed to enter the Capitol in Bacolod City, Diaz also said.
COVID HOSPITAL
Diaz said the 98-bed Cadiz District Hospital, the designated COVID-19 facility, now has 15 patients.
He said the 100-bed newly renovated annex of the hospital is set to be energized this week. This will ensure additional beds for COVID-19 patients if needed, he said.*