MAJORITY of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in Negros Occidental were attributed to locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and other inbound travellers that were heading home from different parts of the country, the Department of Health (DoH) said. DoH Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the increase in provincial cases was due to homeward-bound LSI’s in the past weeks. She said the National Task Force Covid-19 (NTF), headed by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., has already gone to the province to check the hospital facilities in the region. Vergeire added that putting Bacolod City back under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was not the only solution to control the number of cases in the city. Consequently, Galvez disapproved the request of Bacolod City doctors for President Rodrigo Duterte to put the city under ECQ due to the rising number of cases.

Source: Manila Times August 29, 2020 16:30 UTC