This Week in Bacolod (February 7 to 13, 2021)

The modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) in Bacolod City was extended until the end of February after Mayor Evelio Leonardia signed Executive Order (EO) No. 02. The EO was made in compliance with the Office of the President after the City of Smiles was included in the cities under MGCQ [1].

The mayor also added that all conditions of EO No. 84 Series of 2020 which put Bacolod City under MGCQ for the whole month of January will continue to be in effect this month. The provisions are as follows:

• Strict home quarantine for residents below 15 years old, 65 years and above, with health risks regardless of age, and pregnant women will still apply.

• The daily 11:00 PM to 4:00 AM curfew hours in the city remain.

• Selling of alcoholic drinks will still be allowed from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM only.

• Mass gatherings are allowed provided that only 50 percent of the venue capacity is occupied.

Negros Occidental’s tourism activities remain closed to foreign and domestic tourists as mayors are still worried about a rise in coronavirus cases. According to Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz, the Bacolod-Silay Airport is still closed to tourists while non-essential travel is prohibited. He also added that though vaccines are coming, residents of Negros Occidental should not let their guards down now that a new coronavirus variant is present in the province [2].

Instead of the COVID-19 nasal test, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) in Bacolod City wants to conduct saliva testing in the PRC Bacolod laboratory. According to PRC Gov. Jay Jalandoni, the saliva test is cheaper since it costs PhP2,000; meanwhile, the nasal test costs PhP3,800. Under COVID-19 saliva testing, people who want to get tested only have to spit into a vial, which will then be submitted to a medical technician for testing. It will take only three to four hours for results to appear [3].

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that if saliva tests are accurate, they will be used at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, Negros Occidental.

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