BACOLOD CITY, April 27 (PIA) - - The Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is aggressively conducting surveillance testings in various areas amid rising number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the city, especially focused on individuals with high risk of COVID-19 infection.
Recently, some police officers of the Bacolod City Police Office tested positive for the virus, hence, Bacolod City mayor Evelio Leonardia, who cahirs the EOC, ordered that those who test positive will immediately be placed under isolation.
“Testing plays a key role in the city government’s efforts to prevent the spread of the virus by identifying infected individuals and thus preventing further transmission,” Leonardia said.
Meanwhile, City Administrator Em Ang, executive director of EOC, stressed that the EOC strongly discourages holding of social gatherings and dining out with those who are not members of the same household.
“It is important to avoid mixing people in one place at the same time because it is one key factor of spreading COVID-19 infection,” Ang said.
Based on the EOC April 23 report on positivity rate, 20 percent of 441 individuals who underwent testing in Bacolod City had positive results.
The EOC said "this has alarming implications since, as a rule of thumb, EOC already considers a five-percent positivity rate as too high.”
As of April 24, a total of 74,886 individuals have already undergone RT-PCR testing in Bacolod City, according to data from the EOC.
Meanwhile, total COVID-19 cases in Bacolod City as of April 25 since March 2020 reached 7,192 with 900 active cases at the moment, recording 205 deaths with 6,087 recoveries.
Individuals who tested positive were being isolated; their close contacts are also being monitored and instructed to undergo home quarantine where food supplies and other necessities are provided by the city government.
“We have to provide food supply and other necessities to help them cope with the quarantine days and prevent jeopardizing the quarantine protocols,” the EOC said in a statement.
Leonardia has also instructed the EOC to reiterate reminders and warnings for Bacolodnons to strictly follow minimum health protocols, like the wearing of face masks and face shields, and observance of social distancing. *(LTP/EAD-PIA6 Negros Occidental)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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