How Bacolodnons came together to fight COVID-19

While the local government was prepared and quick to respond, other concerned groups throughout the city also lent a helping hand.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 6 recently cited Bacolod City and Negros Occidental for their “best practices” in responding to the novel coronavirus pandemic—lauding a number of innovative measures the local government units have been implementing.

Among these innovations are the country’s first ever bio-safe Swab Mobile sampling unit, the establishment of designated respiratory outpatient and referral centers for those exhibiting early symptoms of COVID-19, and the use of a geographic information system (GIS) to monitor PUIs, PUMs (Persons Under Monitoring), and positive cases in real time with their respective locations.

There is also the pioneering P1 million Swab Mobile, brainchild of Mayor Evelio Leonardia's daughter Loren Kara, was turned over to the city by the Bacolod Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bacolod Filipino-Chinese Junior Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Bacolod Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade in early May.

Aiming to minimize the risk of exposure of medical frontliners to the novel coronavirus when collecting samples, the Swab Mobile was put up ahead of the construction of the Biosafety Laboratory Testing Center, as the city hopes to bolster its mass testing efforts. This testing hub is expected to be fully operational by late June.

Aside from the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, two other local testing hubs in the region are also seeking accreditation from the Department of Health and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)—namely the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay and the Philippine Red Cross Negros Occidental–Bacolod Chapter Headquarters molecular biology laboratory.

According to data from the Department of Health Region 6, as of June 5, Bacolod has had 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases—with three deaths, six recovered patients, and only one active case. Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Province has had only three cases—with zero deaths, two recoveries, and only one remaining active case.

When it comes to repatriated OFWs, Bacolod has four cases positive for novel coronavirus, while Negros Occidental has seven—these patients were properly quarantined upon arrival in the region to prevent the localized transmission of COVID-19.

With this data, the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases has classified the region at “low risk” for the spread of novel coronavirus. Thus, Bacolod and Negros Occidental have transitioned from a General Community Quarantine (GCQ) to a Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) June 1. 

Among the salient points of the region’s MGCQ are the lifting of the lockdown curfew, the gradual return of public transport, and the reopening of more businesses and industries.

Bacolod reported its first confirmed case of novel coronavirus on March 20—also the very first in Western Visayas—just as the country was beginning to come to grips with the pandemic. Immediately, the city and Negros Occidental province sprung to action, activating measures it had ironed out weeks prior for the containment and control of this major public health concern.

As early as February, Bacolod mayor Leonardia issued an executive order creating the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force, allocating an initial budget of P10 million to mobilize its operations. Chaired by Bacolod Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, by the second week of February the task force had already acquired 1,000 sets of full personal protective equipment (PPE) for the city’s rescue personnel and health frontliners. 

Prepared for the eventuality, the City Health Office together with the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office began stockpiling other essential medical supplies, starting with a reserve stock of 1,500 boxes of face masks.

Closely coordinating with local stakeholders in the tourism and transportation sectors—especially the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippines Ports Authority, and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines—the task force began the inception of protocols that could minimize the potential spread of COVID-19 in the region.  

Egged on by City Hall and the City Council, the Liga ng mga Barangay also began its information dissemination on novel coronavirus to the city’s 61 barangays, mandating them to reactivate their respective Barangay Risk Reduction Management Council.

What followed was the strict monitoring of all points of entry in the city and region, among them the New Bacolod-Silay International Airport and Negros Occidental’s major seaports. Tourists and locals alike with travel history to cities and countries with confirmed novel coronavirus cases were isolated in health facilities and declared Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) for testing.

Weeks later, in mid-March, when a 56-year-old Negrense with travel history to London tested positive for COVID-19 in Bacolod after showing serious symptoms, the city was prepared to promptly begin its contact tracing efforts to contain the virus.

Source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/06/02/20/ahead-of-the-curve-how-bacolod-became-one-of-the-most-admired-cities-in-the-covid-fight?fbclid=IwAR04rVUhCoT0yHm45yBREQ_SmB4IV3Kcv2b1CIlW8KjHi_SR_f9oEUXO3dU