BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Lacson said he had been “instructed” to stop receiving people from Tabuelan town, Cebu province because of the “sheer number” of locally-stranded individuals (LSIs) who tested positive of CoViD-19.
Earlier today, the Department of Health Western Visayas reported 21 confirmed cases from Negros Occidental, the highest so far since the start of the monitoring period. This brings the running tally of confirmed cases in the province to 68.
“I have been instructed to stop receiving people from Tabuelan, and the Department of Interior and Local Government has a travel ban on people going and coming to Cebu, including the whole province,” Lacson said.
Lacson addressed the issue of Negros Occidental residents currently stranded in Tabuelan port, Cebu. Pictures of those stranded had been posted in social media recently.
The governor added that as of the moment, the province’s quarantine facilities, as well as those of LGUs all over the province, are already overwhelmed.
“We do not want to be receiving people from Cebu because it is clear that they are the epicenter now,” he added.
He also appealed to health authorities to treat LSIs the same way that the OFWs are treated – meaning that they have to be subjected to and RT-PCR test before being sent home.
He also appealed for the continued use of school buildings especially in less developed towns and cities, saying that these areas could not afford to put up their own facility.
