Mass Testing in Bacolod and Negros Occidental Set Next Week

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran who chairs the city’s IATF, and Councilor Renecito Novero, chair of the Quarantine Centers Action Team, join Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, Board Member Ryan Gamboa, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz, and Provincial Consultant Alfredo Benitez in a press conference today August 22 to inform the public of the planned Lockdown for COVID-19 Mass Testing, dubbed “Time-Out Weekend,” from August 28 to 31.

This project is initiated by the Provincial Government.

A Special Task Force will be created to facilitate the mass testing of 10,000 symptomatic patients and their close contacts in the cities of Bacolod, Silay, Talisay, and Bago, and the municipality of Murcia for four days this weekend.

RT-PCR tests are scheduled on August 28-29 in Bacolod, with estimated 5,000 patients.

The remaining 5,000 patients from the cities of Silay, Talisay, and Bago, and the town of Murcia will have their swab tests on August 30-31.

All 5 molecular bio-laboratories in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental will be used to speed up the processing of these 10,000 swab specimens so the results can be released in 24 hours.

Leonardia and Lacson are expected to issue their respective executive orders to implement the said mass testing.* (CITY PIO)