By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Sea travel from Bacolod City to Iloilo City and Dumangas town in Iloilo province and vice versa remains unhampered despite the recent escalation of Iloilo city and province to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

However, Weesam Express operator Frank Carbon, in an interview over Aksyon Radyo-Bacolod, said due to the low number of passengers, trip between Bacolod City and Iloilo City is presently limited only to one roundtrip daily.

Carbon also affirmed that one of the three fast craft companies plying the said route has also decided to temporarily halt its services.

For those who are planning to travel to Iloilo, Carbon said there are no travel requirements.

However, in order for the passengers to avoid standing up while inside their vessel, he advised travelers to eat, drink, and go to the toilet prior to boarding. That way, passengers will remain seated the entire trip and avoid removing their face masks and face shields.

Carbon also confirmed that the ferry crews, tellers and porters have already been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, roll-on/roll-off trips between Bacolod City and the town of Dumangas in Iloilo remain normal with trips departing every hour.
Last week, Iloilo City and province were placed under ECQ until the end of July after two individuals from the province of Antique tested positive for the Delta COVID-19 variant./DGB, WDJ