By Dolly Yasa
Bacolod City – The province of Negros Occidental and this city will remain under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) status until May 31, as announced by Malacañang Thursday night.
This, as records of the Provincial Incident Management Team showed that active COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental dropped from a peak of 2,437 on May 9, to 2,159 on May 13.
The city of San Carlos City still has the most number of active cases at 206.
San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo led senior citizens of San Carlos City in the vaccination rollout at the city hospital, Friday.
Gustilo was inoculated with Sinovac dose, while other senior citizens got the AstraZeneca vaccines for their first dose.
The Department of Health allocated 800 vaccines to San Carlos City, that were divided between the city government and the San Carlos Doctors’ Hospital.
Gustilo appealed to residents to register and be included in the vaccination list.
“If we achieve herd immunity, who knows, we will go back to our normal lives,” Gustilo said.
Meanwhile, local and foreign tourists in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, are now allowed for leisure travel to Sipalay City as long as entry requirements are complied with.
Mayor Maria Gina Montilla-Lizares said tourists must have booking confirmations from the resort or hotel where they will be staying and should travel to Sipalay in private vehicles because the use of public utility vehicles is still prohibited.
Walk-in day trips to resorts and beaches, excursions, and overnight camping in beaches are not allowed, she said.
Only establishments with Department of Tourism accreditation shall be allowed to operate at 50 percent guest capacity, and mass gatherings shall be allowed up to 30 percent venue capacity, Lizares said in the executive order she issued.
Sipalaynons are still prohibited from visiting their relatives and friends outside the city, and travel outside Sipalay is limited to accessing essential goods and services, the EO added.
Border checkpoint personnel shall strictly conduct screening of incoming individuals, and those manifesting flu-like symptoms, such as fever or having a temperature 37.8 centigrade and above, will be denied entry, it added.
Curfew hours will remain from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., with the exemption of persons in emergency cases, in cargo vehicles, and Authorized Persons Outside Residence. As of May 13, Sipalay City had 158 active cases, and was among the eight local government units of Negros Occidental with cases in triple digits.
