By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia over the weekend has forwarded a letter to the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) appealing for a lower alert level after the city switched from a quarantine status to the more updated alert level classification.
Bacolod City was placed under Alert Level 4 classification by the NIATF which would take effect on November 1 until November 15.
Based on the copy of the letter specifically addressed to Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III, Leonardia pointed out Bacolod City should be on Alert Level 3 as the growth in new COVID-19 cases had been steadily declining over the past two weeks.
He said the city’s two-week COVID-19 growth rate had a -39 percent change and the average daily attack rate has decreased from 21.62 percent to only 13.24 percent during the recent two-week period.
The city’s healthcare capacity utilization has also significantly dropped to only 69 percent, while intensive care unit utilization rate is at 55 to 56 percent.
Quarantine facility admissions are also down to only 19.66 percent.
The city’s Emergency Operations Center has also released data showing that the city now only has 954 active COVID-19 cases with the city posting a 92.72 percent recovery rate.
The mayor further pointed out that with the city further ramping up its vaccination program, they can expect a further decrease in the new COVID19 cases in the proceeding weeks.
“There is a significant indication of a continuous reduction of additional cases in the city. Given the foregoing, it is reasonable to loosen restrictions in order for our residents to resume earning activities,” he added.
Under Alert Level 4, persons below 18 years old, above 65 years old and those with existing immunodeficiencies or comorbidities are not allowed to go outside of their homes.
However, they can only go outside if they are to obtain essential goods and services or if they work in permitted industries and offices.
Intrazonal and interzonal travel for persons are also now allowed, but still subject to regulations set by the local government unit.
Al fresco restaurants, other dine-in services, as well as religious gatherings are also allowed to continue operating but are limited to accommodating 30 percent of the venue’s seating capacity only.
Indoor dine-in services, meanwhile, are limited to only 10 percent.
Individual outdoor exercises are also now allowed for all ages regardless of comorbidities or vaccination status, provided that they are limited within a general area of their residence only such as a barangay, purok, subdivision, and or village./DGB, WDJ