Negros Occ. to modify ECQ by April 20

A group of Negrense Overseas Foreign Workers board the Philippine Coast Guard bus upon their arrival at the port of Escalante City, from Tabuelan, Cebu on Tuesday afternoon (April 14, 2020). They are part of the first batch of 35 OFWs who came from Cebu and brought to the patient care center in E.B. Magalona town to undergo the required 14-day quarantine. (Photo courtesy of PCG-Negros Occidental via PNA)

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said Wednesday that the Enhanced Community Quarantine in the province will continue until April 30,2020.

This was the consensus reached by the Inter-Agency Task Force against the corona virus disease 2019 or COVID -19 in a meeting with the mayors.

But Lacson said they will make some modifications in the ECQ starting April 20.

One change is that the curfew will be determined by the local chief executives of the respective towns and cities in the province.

Public and private sector constructions will also resume. Restaurants will also be allowed to open but for take-out only.

Lacson said social distancing and wearing of face masks will still be strictly imposed.

“While we are slowly going back to normal, we will still have to be very careful and take the necessary precautions,” Lacson said.

The meeting was called to decide whether or not to lift the ECQ considering that there is no more COVID-19 case in the province and suspected and probable cases continue to go down.

Lacson also confirmed that 35 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) arrived in the province Tuesday and were brought to the Quarantine Center in EB Magalona town.

He also confirmed that six flight attendants who were stranded in Manila arrived Wednesday on board a Canadian government-chartered flight for Canadians who were stranded in the province.

The flight attendants were brought to Mambukal Resort to comply with the 14-day quarantine period together with 45 construction workers who arrived from Iloilo on the same day.