BACOLOD CITY – The medical community in Negros Occidental has expressed dismay over the failure of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to place this city and the province under a “stricter quarantine status” amid the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases.
The Philippine College of Physicians-Negros Occidental Chapter (PCP-NOC) headed by Dr. Ronel Sario, said the national government should have considered the number of infections in Bacolod and Negros Occidental.
“We are tagged as high risk and we even surpassed Metro Manila cases. The numbers are exponentially increasing day by day and this is beyond alarming,” the group said.
“We just wanted to have a time out (to decongest the hospitals and facilities). This means limitation of movement of the community for at least two weeks to halt the transmission of the virus from one household to another,” it added.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday announced that Bacolod and Negros Occidental will remain under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), the loosest quarantine classification in the country.
Their neighboring city of Iloilo, Iloilo province, and Negros Oriental revert to the more stringent modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).
“Now it seems that we are left unarmed, but we still continue to call and appeal to all Bacoleños and Negrenses that COVID is still here and this is our main enemy. We need you to cooperate and follow the rules implemented to stop the spread of this deadly virus,” the PCP- NOC said.
Despite the alarms raised by the medical community, the group said bars, coffee shops, and the like were still open without regard for personal and the community’s safety.
“The war is still far from over. We call on the public to avoid social gatherings with other households even if held outdoors, especially over food and drinks,” PC-NOC said.
“We witness the suffering of COVID-19 patients every day. And victims of COVID are already within our homes. Let us all stop and reflect on our priorities: health or wealth?” it added.
The Department of Health on Monday tagged Bacolod as a high-risk area for COVID-19.
As of Tuesday, Bacolod has 11,440 COVID-19 cases where 1,920 were active with 9,227 recoveries and 290 deaths, according to the Department of Health.
Negros Occidental, on the other hand, has 16,912 COVID-19 cases, including 1,794 active cases, 14,727 recoveries, and 391 deaths.