THE City Government of Bacolod will not preempt the decision of the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) regarding the quarantine status of the city.

This was stressed by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chairperson of Bacolod City IATF, on Monday, June 14, 2021, after some netizens posted on social media that Bacolod City will be placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

Familiaran said Bacolod City is still under MGCQ from June 1 to 30.

“Let’s not pre-empt the decision of the NIATF because it can create panic to our people,” he said.

He added the city’s quarantine status depends on the monthly assessment or evaluation of the NIATF.

On June 12, Mayor Evelio Leonardia along with the city IATF, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and other city officials also held a videoconference in further assessing the spike and rebound of the infection with the preparation for a possible anticipated escalation of the City’s community quarantine to either general community (GCQ) or MECQ.

Leonardia said there is no truth to the stories posted on social media that Bacolod will be placed either under MECQ or GCQ by June 16.

“We cannot pre-empt the NIATF because it is the only body that can determine or authorize the change of the quarantine status. Let’s wait for the official announcement,” he said.

As of June 13, Bacolod City had a total of 11,308 Covid-19 cases. Of the number, 9,069 patients already recovered, 1,952 were active cases with 284 deaths.