E.B. Magalona, Pulupandan, San Enrique, La Carlota and Sagay placed under Alert Level 1

Five out of the 31 local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental have been placed under the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Alert Level 1 from April 1 to 15 by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

These included the towns of Enrique B. Magalona, Pulupandan and San Enrique as well as the component cities of La Carlota and Sagay.

La Carlota City Mayor Rex Jalando-on said today that despite being under Alert Level 1, they are not complacent and the local government continues to enforce the minimum public health protocols, especially wearing face masks and vaccination.

“We really focus on vaccination. That’s the way going forward,” the mayor, who is a medical doctor, said.
La Carlota is among the province’s top performers in the Covid-19 vaccination campaign with some 85 percent of its total population already fully vaccinated.

“I have instructed the vaccination teams to conduct house-to-house campaign,” Jalando-on said, adding he continues to push for Covid-19 vaccination while campaigning for his reelection in the May 9 elections.

In areas under Alert Level 1, which is the lowest category in the country’s Covid-19 alert level system, movement of persons, regardless of age and comorbidities, is allowed, but with restrictions on crowded and closed spaces and close contact (3Cs) settings.

Also, private establishments and government agencies are allowed to operate at full on-site capacity, subject to minimum public health standards.

On March 30, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said the provincial government is pushing for alert level classification for every LGU so that those that have performed well in the vaccination campaign can already be de-escalated to Alert Level 1.

“That will also in a way serve as encouragement to other LGUs to strive to reach the same vaccination level as the other LGUs to enjoy Alert Level 1,” he added.

Until April 15, the rest of Negros Occidental is still under Alert Level 2 while this capital city has also been placed under Alert Level 1.* (Nanette Guadalquiver)