BY MARCHEL P. ESPINA
Amid the rising coronavirus cases in Negros Occidental, 16 quarantine facilities in the province have reached full capacity, while eight are now at critical level, Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian, Covid-19 Provincial Incident Management Team commander, said yesterday.
He said that the quarantine facilities in Sagay, Calatrava, Isabela, and Talisay even went beyond their capacity.
A report furnished to the DAILY STAR showed that Sagay City’s quarantine facility has a capacity of 180 patients, but it has 190 occupants, Calatrava’s facility, with a capacity of 50 has 58 patients, Isabela with 30, but has 37 patients, and Talisay City with 95 but has 100 patients.
Other local government units that have no more available spaces in their quarantine facilities are Bago City with 262 patients, Binalbagan – 120, Cadiz City – 90, Escalante City – 324, Himamaylan City – 200, Hinobaan – 110, Manapla – 25, Moises Padilla – 20, Murcia – 64, San Enrique – 18, Sipalay City – 160, and Valladolid with 45 patients.
Quarantine facilities that have reached the critical level are in Candoni with 29-bed capacity and 24 patients, Cauayan – 65 beds and 62 patients, Salvador Benedicto – 13 beds and nine patients, Ilog – 88 beds and 80 patients, Pontevedra – 50 beds and 46 patients, Pulupandan – 61 beds and 53 patients, San Carlos City – 67 beds and 64 patients, and Silay City with 25 beds and 18 patients.
Only seven facilities in the province have not reached maximum capacity. These are in EB Magalona with 44 available spaces, Hinigaran – 32, Kabankalan – 101, La Carlota City – 15, La Castellana – 24, Toboso – 26, and Victorias – 22.
Caelian said that the provincial government-run facilities still have available spaces for patients and could be used as temporary shelters for LGUs that have reached full capacity.
However, he pointed out that they do not want facilities to reach critical level since locally-stranded individuals and returning overseas Filipino workers continue to arrive.
He said the province may ask again for a moratorium on the arrival of LSIs and OFWs if the facilities reach maximum capacity.
As of September 20, the province has 2,549 total cases, 1,005 recoveries, and 48 deaths.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health in Western Visayas reported yesterday that Negros Occidental has 34 new cases, 29 recoveries, and one death, while Bacolod City has 64 new cases, 159 recoveries, and one fatality.*
