By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

After months of being closed to the public due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Provincial Lagoon and Park will reopen its gates this Saturday.

Provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the order to reopen the park is “effective immediately” and that the provincial government still “needs to put the guards and protocols in place.”

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, in his order, said the guidelines on the implementation of community quarantine in the Philippines allow indoor and outdoor non-contact sports and other forms of exercise, which will improve the physical and mental well-being of Negrenses.

Among the health protocols that will be enforced at the park are visitors should be limited to 50 at any given time; temperature check, logbook login and handwashing should be complied with in order to be permitted entry into the park; physical distancing and wearing of face mask and face shield must be observed inside the park; events and social will not be allowed; only persons aged 18 to 65 will be granted entry to the park; and activities inside the park should be limited to walking and jogging, while group exercises should be limited to three persons.

The Safety and Security Division was ordered to ensure compliance with the health protocols at the park.

The three-hectare Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol Lagoon and Park or Lagoon, as it is popularly known to Bacolodnons and Negrenses, was closed to the public in March with the onslaught of COVID-19 in the province.

The park is a popular venue for jogging, Zumba, school dance rehearsals, and martial arts practice.

It is also a popular venue for families to stroll and couples to date./DGB, WDJ