The provincial government of Negros Occidental is firm in requiring inbound travelers to present negative RT-PCR result if they come from areas under Alert Level 3, or higher.
The decision was made in a meeting of the members of the Provincial Incident Management Team.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that negative RT-PCT result is required for passengers from Panay, those from Negros Oriental, and other areas under Alert Level 3.
Provincial Administrator, Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, said it is a reckless move to allow the entry of people from other provinces without making sure that they are not carriers of the COVID virus.
Diaz added that with the present spike in COVID fresh cases and a number of medical health workers infected, the province has more reason to be careful.
The business sector had asked the province to set aside the RT-PCR requirement, Diaz said.
“While we want to balance the health and economy, this time, we have to be cautious,” he said, adding that the requirement is only temporary, or until the end of January.
The PIMT meeting was attended by Drs. Mary Anne Maestral, hospital chief of the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay, Girlie Pingongan – head of the Hospital Operations Division of the province, and Ernell Tumimbang, provincial health officer.
Diaz said he believed that the doctors are the ones who should be consulted since they bear the responsibility of taking care of the sick if the situation will worsen because of the RT-PCR non-requirement.
Meanwhile, Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo said that the Business One-Stop-Shop (BOSS), vaccination activities, delivery of essential goods, and the giving of financial assistance to victims of Typhoon Odette will continue despite the work from home arrangement order that took effect Jan. 20 until Jan. 23.
The Bago City Hall is temporarily closed for decontamination, after several employees manifested flu-like symptoms.
Yulo said there was a sudden spike in the number of COVID infections, with total active cases now at 71, adding that a percentage of new cases involved City Hall employees.
The Silay City Hall has also been closed since Jan. 19, for the disinfection of the whole building after 13 employees tested positive in the recent swab testing.
Mayor Mark Golez said offices with vital functions will continue operations, like the City Health, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and the City Social Welfare Division. The rest of the employees are on work from home arrangement.
He urged the department heads to monitor the condition of their employees, and those not feeling well are encouraged to stay home to limit the further spread of COVID-19. | MML
