Bacolod Councilor Renecito Novero said Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs) should not be exempt from presenting negative RT-PCR result when traveling to the city, considering that it will be placed under a stricter Alert Level 3 starting today until the end of this month.
Novero, the head of the city action team on quarantine and isolation centers, has requested the National Inter-Agency Task Force, in support of the letter of Mayor Evelio Leonardia to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, that with the surge in COVID cases and with the city on Alert Level 3, Bacolod cannot give exemptions to APORs from securing negative RT-PCR test result before entering Bacolod City.
The national IATF, in Resolution No. 79, said that “the movement of APORs within or across areas placed under any form of community quarantine shall be permitted” if they are health and emergency frontline services personnel, government officials and government frontline services personnel, and persons travelling for medical or humanitarian reasons, among others.
Novero said that whether the APORs are national officials or private individuals, they should follow the travel policy of securing a negative RT-PCR valid for 72 hours before travel.
Government officials/public sector personnel on official business are allowed unimpeded travel into Bacolod City from any area regardless of the alert level status, provided that they comply with the vaccination mandate of the national IATF and present requisite papers, Leonardia said in Executive Order No. 1-2022 he issued dated Jan. 7.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod unanimously approved the resolution of Novero Wednesday.
It also passed two other resolutions filed by the councilor in the continued fight against the coronavirus disease 2019.
He requested the Office of the City Mayor and the City Legal Office to promptly renew the contracts of locally hired health workers, like nurses and doctors, to help in the swabbing and contact tracing, and of personnel of the Bacolod Emergency Operations Center.
Another request was for the Department of Health and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to renew or extend the assignment of the augmentation force sent to Bacolod and paid for by the national agencies.
Novero said that with a fresh surge in COVID cases, the city still needs their services in quarantine and isolation facilities, and in helping give medication and offer consultation.
Meanwhile, Novero said the limited face to face classes at the Alangilan National High School will be temporarily suspended starting next week.
The previous plan of asking the Department of Education to approve additional schools for in-person classes is also put on hold with Bacolod placed under Alert Level 3. Last year, three more schools in Barangay Alangilan were endorsed for face to face classes. | MML
