This Week in Bacolod (December 20 to 26, 2020)

An executive order prohibiting in-person Christmas festivities in the city is being pushed by the Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center Task Force (EOC-TF) to contain the spread of COVID-19. Two business sectors in the city—business process outsourcing companies and shopping malls—have already agreed not to hold any physical holiday parties this year. Also, the EOC will order monitoring teams in different villages in the city to penalize and arrest violators [1].

Cadiz City and San Carlos City, two towns in Northern Negros Occidental, have imposed a ban on Christmas celebrations and caroling this month as a component of the health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In Cadiz City, Mayor Salvador Escalante issued Executive Order (EO) 046-2020 restricting mass gatherings such as Christmas parties, celebrations, and traditional caroling. Meanwhile, in San Carlos City, Mayor Renato Gustilo released EO 269 which prohibits parties, reunions, social gatherings, caroling, and sporting events [2].

To give medical frontliners a break during the holidays, additional flights to the province will not be allowed this month. Below are 17 local government units that had the approval of the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) for the moratoriums on locally stranded individual’s arrivals:

• Ilog and Cauayan: December 20 to January 3

• La Carlota City: December 22 to January 2

• Pontevedra: December 22 to January 5

• Himamaylan, Victorias, and Calatrava: December 21 to January 3

• Bago City: November to December 5

• Sagay City: November 26 to December 10

• Hinobaan: December 15 to 22

• La Castellana: December 22 to January 5

As of writing, the towns of Manapla, Candoni, Moises Padilla, and Valladolid are still waiting for the RIATF’s decision on their request to suspend the arrival of LSIs. Meanwhile, in Bacolod City, the moratorium for the suspension from December 21 to January 3 was also approved by the RIATF [3]. Furthermore, flights to Negros Occidental are suspended on December 24, 25, 31, and January 1.

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Bacolod.