By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson denied Monday that the province will return to Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) status.
Lacson said the province will remain under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) on July 1.
“I really think MGCQ will still be in effect,” Lacson said.
He also said that even though there has been an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases among locally stranded individuals (LSIs), “it is still a very small number.”
As to the province’s economic recovery under the MGCQ where not much people are moving around yet, Lacson said it is really a question of confidence.
“If people still don’t feel that it is safe, then it is better to stay at home.” he said.
Lacson, who spearheaded the meeting on the province’s road to recovery plan Monday, also said that “at the start of the year when the possibility of a pandemic advanced to an inevitable certainty, one thing was clear, the entire world was not prepared for this novel virus.”
“COVID-19 came quickly and with such intensity that both first world nations and developing countries were disconcerted just the same.”
Lacson said when lockdowns and community quarantines were imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, “economies started to slump.”
“We are now in the second half of the year and the serious task on how we can save both lives and livelihood are staring at us in the face,” the governor said.
He also said that hundreds to thousands of Negrenses from the sectors of agriculture, services, transportation, food & accommodation, construction and trade, among others, “are gravely affected by the economic impact of the lockdowns and quarantine measures.”
As of date, there are 6,500 repatriated OFWs and LSIs in the province.
“Businesses now struggle to cover the costs of operations and how to pay their employees. Governments on the other hand are trying to mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic. Given that physical distancing might be the new norm for an indefinite period of time, such is a double-edged sword. While it is beneficial to public health, it can add to the burden on the concerted efforts to revive the economy. Thus, the need not just for decisive actions, but for also innovative means to address both public health and economic concerns,” Lacson added.
He further said that “the New Normal will lead us to new sets of behaviors, perspectives, approaches and even resilience in the face of a novel virus and an economy which needs to be recovered, notwithstanding the other daunting concerns we were facing before COVID-19.”
