Mayor Evelio Leonardia has put on hold the conduct of limited in-person classes here amid the threat posed by the highly transmissible coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Omicron variant and the possible surge of cases after the holidays.
“I have held off any decision to restart the holding of limited face-to-face classes at Alangilan National High School (NHS),” the mayor said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Alangilan NHS is the lone public school in the city identified by the Department of Education to take part in the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes starting December 6.
It has been deemed as low-risk for Covid-19 and with all its faculty and senior high students fully vaccinated.
Leonardia also put on hold his final decision on the applications of a college and a university to start face-to-face classes for allied medical courses.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said he concurred with the suggestion of Councilor Cindy Tan-Rojas and other key members of the Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF) to set aside in-person class instructions from 15 to 30 days.
Meanwhile, the EOC-TF will inspect isolation facilities to ensure these are well-maintained and functioning to accommodate asymptomatic patients undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine protocol.
EOC-TF Executive Director Em Ang said this is part of the city’s preparation should more Covid-19 cases will be recorded in the wake of the new surge observed on a global scale.
“We will work closely with the City Engineer’s Office for all necessary repairs. We will make sure the bathrooms are functioning well and there is enough water supply. The room ventilation will be secured as well. We will also tap the General Services Office to ensure that the facilities are cleaned,” she added
Data of the EOC-TF showed the city’s isolation facilities have accommodated relatively fewer patients for three consecutive months since October 2021, following the steady decline of local cases, which can be attributed to the sustained vaccination campaign.
Currently, only 24 out of the 61 barangays in Bacolod have active Covid-19 cases, the EOC-TF data further showed.
Source: Philippines News Agency
