BACOLOD City – Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson believes the battle against SARS–CoV–2, the virus which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is far from over.
Wary of a second wave of the new coronavirus, Lacson wants to extend the general community quarantine (GCQ) in Negros Occidental until May 31.
He furnished Tuesday a letter addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte asking for a GCQ extension.
GCQ is a form of quarantine with more relaxed measures compared to the enhanced community quarantine. It was enforced in provinces and cities considered to have moderate or low risk to COVID-19.
“While the Negrenses are all eager to revive the economy and return to the ‘new normal’ at the soonest possible time, (the) enthusiasm has been tempered by the lack of a testing center” in the province,” the governor said in his letter.
Lacson’s appeal came after the National Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) classified the province along with other areas in Western Visayas as “low risk” for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) transmission.
According to the governor, he doesn’t want to risk the lives of the Negrenses as he believes the threat of COVID-19 is still far from over.
He cited that five repatriated seafarers who recently arrived in Negros Occidental have tested positive for COVID-19. They are among the seven confirmed cases in the province.
Lacson stressed that extending the GCQ in Negros Occidental will enable the province to complete the construction and accreditation of the COVID-19 testing laboratory at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City.
He said Negros Occidental feels vulnerable without a COVID-19 bio-lab, which can screen incoming passengers from neighboring high-risk areas such as Cebu, and the National Capital Region and give reliable results to identify and isolate positive COVID-19 cases.
Lacson said if the GCQ will not be extended, it will result in the influx of overseas Filipino workers from high-risk areas as returning back to normal ways will result in the opening of seaports and airports in the province.
Lacson earlier placed Negros Occidental under enhanced community quarantine from March 30 to April 14, and then extended this until April 30.
Starting May 1, the province has shifted to GCQ, based on the IATF classification.
He assured the President that once the GCQ in Negros Occidental is extended, safety measures such as border control and modified home quarantine will still be in place to safeguard the health of Negrenses. (With a report from PNA/PN)
