FOR the second day in a row, Negros Occidental province in Western Visayas figured in the list of provinces with the highest number of new infections in a single day.
Based on the Department of Health (DOH) case bulletin, Negros Occidental had the highest number of new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) at 304 on Wednesday, August 26, 2020.
On Tuesday, August 25, Negros Occidental had the second highest number of new cases at 237.
It is not clear whether the figures include those from Bacolod City, the provincial capital and the epicenter of the Covid-19 epidemic in the province.
As of Tuesday, the Bacolod City Public Information Office reported 15 new cases, which brought the total confirmed cases in the city to 765.
Of the total, 491 were active cases, 257 have recovered and 17 had died.
The latest data from local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental, excluding Bacolod City, showed a total of 990 cases, of which 560 were active.
Nearly half, 471 cases, involved returning locally stranded individuals. Eight had died in the province while 422 have recovered from the disease.
In a bid to slow transmission of the disease, local government officials will be implementing a “time-out weekend” from August 28 to 31 to conduct mass testing targeting 10,000 individuals.
Bacolod City will be placed on lockdown on Friday and Saturday, August 28 and 29.
The neighboring town of Murcia and cities of Silay, Talisay and Bago are scheduled for lockdown on August 30 and 31. (Marites Villamor-Ilano/SunStar Philippines)