THE City Government of Bacolod is now ready to utilize the evacuation center in Barangay Vista Alegre as the new quarantine facility for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients, an official said.

Councilor Renecito Novero, chairman of the city’s quarantine center action team, said the city already completed the renovation of its evacuation center to be used as a quarantine or isolation facility.

Novero recalled that they already closed the 20 school-based quarantine facilities, including the Graciano Lopez Jaena Elementary School and Education and Training Center School IV, that earlier remained open for Covid-19 patients.

“For now, we have no Covid-19 patients (in quarantine facility) since our Covid cases continue to decrease and Bacolod City was also placed under Alert Level 1 in terms of Covid-19 transmission from March 16 to 31,” he said.

Novero said since last week, the Negros Occidental capital city recorded single-digit new Covid-19 infections.

“There were times that we didn't have new Covid-19 cases and it’s a good development for us. We will continue to follow the health protocols and avail the Covid-19 vaccines,” Novero said.

Aside from the evacuation center, he said the city will also utilize the Midway Referral Facility in Barangay Alijis for Covid patients.

As of March 15, Bacolod City had a total of 27,107 Covid-19 cases.

Of the number, some 26,902 patients recovered, 92 were still active cases while 841 died.

On the same day, Bacolod recorded zero Covid-19 infections.

It was the third time in 2022 and the fourth since 2021 that Bacolod reported zero Covid-19 cases for the day.

Bacolod City first recorded zero Covid cases on March 10, 2021.

The Emergency Operations Center also reported zero cases on February 21 and March 12, 2022.