By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Eight sugar migrant workers or “sacadas” have now contracted the coronavirus disease 2019, or Covid-19.

Provincial Incident Management Team head Zeaphard Caelian said they recorded two new infected sacadas on Thursday. The latest cases were immediately placed in isolation.

According to Caelian the number of sacadas who have arrived in Negros Occidental from Antique province has now reached to 1,808 with the latest batch arriving last Thursday.

An estimated 5,000 sacadas are expected to arrive in the province as the sugar milling season opens.

Caelian has asked the contractors to coordinate with the provincial government whenever they send their workers to the province in order for them to be given time to prepare the necessary documents since they would be swabbed upon arrival in Bacolod City.

He also stated he had instructed the Philippine Coast Guard to block migratory workers who have not secured proper coordination with the provincial government./DGB, WDJ