Bacolod resorts, cafés will be closed on Easter Sunday

BACOLOD CITY –– Resorts and cafés in Barangays Alangilan and Granada in this city will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 4.

Owners of these businesses have agreed to suspend their operations on Easter Sunday after Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran appealed to them given the sudden spike of COVID-19 cases in Bacolod.

An open forum was held in Alangilan on March 31 to discuss the temporary closure.

Business owners, barangay officials, City Hall officials, members of the City Legal Office-Enforcement Team, and the Bacolod City Police Office attended the forum.

“These are just preventive measures. We are not on lockdown,” said Leonardia, who also conducted a similar dialog with resort and business owners in Barangays Punta Taytay and Pahanocoy on March 30.

Leonardia said thousands of people, especially biking enthusiasts, may flock to Barangays Alangilan and Granada this Easter Sunday, thus, increasing the threat of COVID-19 transmission.

“Let’s not wait for COVID-19 to hit us. To avoid its spread, always assume that everyone you encounter is a possible positive case,” Leonardia said.

Councilor Renecito Novero, who chairs the Quarantine Centers Action Team, said “prevention is the solution.”

“I hope we can be cooperative as we have always been,” he added.

Although there were reservations, business owners cooperated and agreed to the one-day closure.

“We were expecting a lot of people on Sunday because it is the highlight of the [Holy Week observance], but I am in favor of this (one-day closure) because it is for our sake and everyone’s sake; and also, to prevent the spread of the virus,” said Barangay Granada Kagawad Reynold Alunan, a café owner.

This Holy Week, Bacolod is observing stricter regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on the recommendation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

During the meeting, EOC deputy for medical Dr. Anna Ma. Laarni Pornan, who also heads the CDRRMO, presented a report on the status of COVID-19 in Bacolod.

“Since January, we have had fewer cases. There were even days when we had zero cases. We were not complacent, but the numbers suddenly spiked. We are now averaging 10 cases per day,” said Pornan.

At the end of the meeting, Leonardia thanked the business owners, residents, and barangay officials for their cooperation and participation.

LZB