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

Bacolod City joins the list of cities under MGCQ until March 31, 2021. In line with this, Executive Order (EO) No. 11 was issued by Mayor Evelio Leonardia in compliance with the national government’s order. Furthermore, the provisions stated in the previous EO that put the city under MGCQ from February 1 to 28 will remain effective for the whole month of March [1].

Travel protocols of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental Province for arriving locally stranded individuals (LSIs) still require a negative result from an reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. This does not conform with the new uniform travel protocols mandated by the National Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF). Under the IATF’s protocols, LSIs will no longer be required to undergo the RT-PCR test and quarantine [2].

Meanwhile, the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) supports the IATF’s uniform protocols. According to Frank Carbon, MBCCI chief executive officer, the new uniform travel protocols should have been implemented long ago to help local businesses recover from the pandemic’s economic consequences.

Bacolod’s city government is urging its residents to register to the COVID-19 electronic immunization registry (CEIR) priority list for the vaccine [3]. The CEIR is also part of the city’s vaccination roadmap and can be accessed via this link: http://bit.ly/2PJcrnxviewform.

The information of applicants will be stored in a secured server, and a system will evaluate whether the applicant is qualified to get vaccinated. For vaccine applicants who cannot access the CEIR, they can proceed to their respective barangay’s council offices or employers.

The Department of Health (DOH)-Western Visayas recognized the City of Smiles as the most prepared city in Western Visayas for COVID-19 vaccination. The COVID-19 vaccination plans of Bacolod City, its planning, budgeting, prioritization and targeting, system capacity for handling cold chain, logistics, and other various thematic areas passed the standards of the DOH [4].

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