By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson along with several officials have tested negative for coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, following the Anti-Drug Abuse Summit in Bacolod City on January 22 wherein an official from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) had tested positive for the virus.

Lacson earlier this week went into isolation and underwent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test.

Aside from him, Lacson confirmed to local media that Donelyn Hemedez, assistant regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency; DILG provincial director Roselyn Quintana; and Board Member Juvy Pepello, Liga ng mga Barangay president, were also tested negative for the virus.

He added that 50 members of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office including provincial director, Police Colonel Romy Palgue, have also tested negative.

The governor has since returned back to work yesterday after receiving the negative test results on Wednesday afternoon./DGB, WDJ