UP researchers say Bacolod City should be under MECQ due to rising COVID-19 cases

Bacolod City in Negros Occidental province should be placed under stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) due to rising COVID-19 cases there, a member of the UP-OCTA Research Team said Monday.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, Dr. Ranjit Rye said health facilities in the city are getting overwhelmed, with the daily number of recorded COVID-19 cases at more than 100.

“Nanawagan kami sa IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases), NTF (National Task Force), nakikita namin the last two weeks sa Bacolod City, kailangan i-revisit, i-recalibrate, tulungan natin sila, lalo na iyong mga health workers,” Rye said.

“Puno ang mga ospital nila, ang daily cases nila, more than 100. Kailangan i-MECQ ang Bacolod City. Hindi ho bumababa, lalong lumalala. Umabot pa po ng 160 cases [per day]. Wala hong humpay, kailangang i-reconfigure po,” he added.

IATF is the government's policy-making body in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic while NTF is the implementing body.

Under MECQ protocol, up to 50% of employees are allowed to physically report to work but public transport is prohibited.

At present, Bacolod City is under general community quarantine (GCQ), which allows 50% of the employees to physically report to work and 10 to 50% of mass transport is allowed.

“Kailangan po i-reconsider, para hindi po mangyari iyong katulad sa Cebu City,” Rye added.

Cebu City was reverted to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) — the strictest of all protocols as it bans mass transport and all non-essential work — after the number of COVID-19 cases there reached as much as 7,000.

The Philippines has recorded 237,365 COVID-19 cases so far. Of this number, 184,687 recovered while 3,875 died.

The number of active cases is at 48,803. —KBK, GMA News