NEGROS Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said Thursday, February 17, that the Provincial Government is now eyeing the possibility of returning to its normal five-day work week.

Diaz said they are currently eyeing a return to their normal work days by March, as long as the province's coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation continues to improve.

Currently, the Provincial Government has adopted a four-day work arrangement as part of their health protocols since the start of the pandemic.

Diaz also noted that they are eyeing to lift the province-wide curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

In the highly urbanized city of Bacolod, curfew hours are from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

But Governor Eugenio Jose Lacason clarified that the implementation of the province-wide curfew will stay until the Negros Occidental's alert status in terms of Covid-19 transmission slid down to Alert level 1.

"I want to observe cuasion on the matter," Lacson said.

Negros Occidental and Bacolod City were earlier placed under Alert Level 2 from February 16 to February 28 by the Inter-Agency Task Force (NAITF) as Covid-19 cases continue to decline.

As of February 16, Negros Occidental has 1,992 active Covid-19 cases.

Meanwhile, Lacson said the vaccination program will continue despite the downtrend of Covid-19 cases in the province.

"We hope the situation continues until we go back to normalcy. The cases would depend on how we behave," Lacson said.