LSIs caused spike of COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental —DOH

The rising number of COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental in the past weeks can be attributed to the influx of locally stranded individuals going home to the province, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

"Itong sa Negros Occidental, based on the data we've analyzed, nakita namin ang increasing number of locally stranded individuals doon sa area, pati mga APOR (authorized person outside of residence) at inbound travelers sa Negros Occidental," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

"When we checked the data, we verified na 'yung mga talagang umuwi papunta sa kanilang areas, 'yun ang nakapagpa-increase ng mga numero ng kaso nila," she added.

In the past three days alone, Negros Occidental recorded 681 new COVID-19 cases.

In the whole Western Visayas region, there were a total of 4,767 individuals who got infected with COVID-19 and 1,427 of these cases were recorded in the last 14 days.

Vergeire said national government officials already visited the province to check the situation.

Five cities and towns in Negros Occidental were placed under a four-day lockdown starting this Friday as mass testing of 10,000 residents is being conducted.—AOL, GMA News