The border between San Carlos City in Negros Occidental and Vallehermoso in Negros Oriental has been open for months now.
This was confirmed today, February 9, by San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo, who said that residents from Negros Oriental could enter the province through the San Carlos-Vallehermoso border since last year.
This is contrary to the earlier statement of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson that the borders between Negros Occidental and Oriental remain closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The mayors of Negros Occidental have also opposed the reopening of the borders.
But Gustilo said that the city has withdrawn its border checkpoints and realigned its forces to focus on curbing the local virus transmission inside the city.
He pointed out that asymptomatic carriers could not be detected at the border, which is the reason why they eased the restrictions at the checkpoints.
They are addressing the local cases through contact tracing and isolation, he said.
He also said that those who come from Negros Oriental have to get a Quick Response (QR) code from the city to enter establishments in San Carlos.
Gustilo stressed that strict implementation of the minimum health protocols against COVID-19 is still in place.*