BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections detected in a call center in this city could spread to nearby cities and towns in Negros Occidental.
Wary of a possible community transmission, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson renewed his call for Negrenses to be extra vigilant.
Health authorities earlier reported 41 employees of Transcom in Barangay Tangub infected with the viral illness.
Of the 41 Transcom cases, Lacson revealed that eight were residents of various towns and cities in the province.
“They took public transport on their way home prior to their quarantine. We fear the virus might have spread already,” Lacson lamented.
Transcom’s “patient zero” was a resident of Barangay Bata who, for reasons still unclear, was allegedly allowed to report to work despite exhibiting mild symptoms prior to diagnosis.
At the site Monday night were policemen deployed to ensure no one entered nor exited the building while the call center is on lockdown.
While having no jurisdiction over the independent city of Bacolod, Lacson reiterated his standing order to the public to observe health protocols.
“Our protocol has been there from the very beginning. All those entering the province should show a negative [COVID-19] test results,” he pointed out.
Negros Occidental remains closed to tourists.
Bacolod, on the other hand, is open to non-essential travel or those for leisure and vacation, among others, provided that tourists comply with the requirements specified in Executive Order 1, series of 2021, or an order establishing the consolidated guidelines for travel into the city issued by Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
One requirement is a negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test taken within three days before the date of travel to Bacolod.
Lacson once again reminded Negrense employees working in Bacolod to “examine themselves when they wake up every morning.”
“If you’re not feeling well, do not report for work. We should be disciplined enough,” the governor stressed.
As of Feb. 1, Bacolod City had 159 active COVID-19 cases while Negros Occidental – composed of 31 towns and cities – had 203 active infections./PN
