File photo
File photo

Travel moratorium in Negros Occidental eyed anew

NEGROS Occidental Provincial Incident Management Team head Zephard Caelian on Thursday, May 6, 2021, said he will ask Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson to request another travel moratorium to concentrate and contain the increasing local transmission cases of Covid-19.

The request for another travel moratorium from the National Capital Region (NCR) and provinces adjacent to Negros Occidental was being mulled as quarantine facilities were in a critical stage.

Travel moratorium from Manila to Western Visayas had been earlier observed from April 4 to 10 and extended from April 13 to 19.

The move of Caelian for another travel moratorium was also supported by Mayor Salvador Escalante, who reported Thursday that more than 500 individuals were occupying their quarantine facilities in Cadiz City, as of this time.

Caelian reported that the EB Magalona Healing Center is now being occupied by 179 Covid-19 positive patients, which is already beyond its capacity of 107.

The Mambukal Mountain Resort in Murcis, which has a capacity of 88, was filled up by 62 infected persons. Caelian said he is expecting it to be fully occupied soon, as they are transporting Covid-19 patients for isolation in the facility.

The Silay City Healing Center, which can accommodate 206 returning residents who have been swabbed upon arrival at seaports and airport of Negros Occidental, was occupied by 106 individuals, which was on top of the 150 brought in Wednesday night by St. Therese of the Child Jesus passenger vessel from Manila, Caelian said.

The Silay quarantine facility for individuals who tested positive for the Covid-19 virus was already filled up by 110 persons, he added.

Since the EB Magalona Healing Facility has been overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients, Escalante said they have already dispatched those with having mild symptoms and asymptomatic patients to the St. Andrews Healing Center in Cadiz City, which has been earmarked for persons under monitoring (PUMs).

He said the problem is people manning the isolation facility have not been trained to attend to positive Covid-19 patients but only for PUMs.

Of the 15 personnel deployed at the healing center, which renders duty for 15 days a month, five tested positive for infection. After they reported to the City Health Office (CHO), four other CHO personnel were also infected by the virus, Escalante said.

Escalante also said 50 of the 71 persons who tested positive for coronavirus, as of May 5, were locally stranded individuals who infected 20 others.

When asked how the city government of Cadiz is coping up with the Covid-19 pandemic, Escalante said they have savings, which originated from realigned budgets for travel, seminars and for Dinagsa Festival, to be spent for Covid-19 patients.

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