The offices of the Bago and Silay city governments in Negros Occidental have been placed under lockdown, for decontamination purposes, after some of their employees were infected by COVID-19.
The city government of Bago announced on its social media page that Mayor Nicholas Yulo suspended work at the Bago City Hall, except for offices that render essential services, effective Jan. 20, due to the alarming rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.
The closure will pave the way for the decontamination of the Bago City Hall and its annex buildings, the city said.
Normal operations will resume on Jan. 24.
The Silay City Hall was also placed on temporary lockdown for five days, or until Jan. 23, also for decontamination, after some of its employees tested positive for COVID-19.
Mayor Mark Golez, in his executive order, said the temporary lockdown will apply to all departments, divisions, offices, and units of the Silay City government. But city government employees, including job order personnel, who will form part of the skeletal workforce, will be allowed in government offices.
The operation of the Cadiz City Health Office was also suspended, as per order of Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr., due to the recent surge of COVID cases. Some of its frontliners, who developed symptoms, were advised to go on self-isolation.
Escalante also said the vaccination rollout scheduled at the Cadiz City Arena has been cancelled, until further notice.
On the other hand, operators and drivers of public transport services are now required to be fully vaccinated as the city government of Sagay ramps up its vaccination following a steady increase in COVID infections in Negros Occidental.
Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Marañon III, in his EO, said that all drivers, conductors, and operators of public transport services, such as but not limited to tricycles for hire, jeepneys, and passenger buses, are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they are declared ineligible for vaccination by the City Health Office.
Market vendors, lessees, and their employees, who have access to city-owned and barangay-owned markets, commercial establishments and facilities, and those working on site are also required to be vaccinated, the EO states.
Any person who refuses to undergo vaccination shall submit a negative RT-PCR test result, it added. | GB
