BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental will not close its borders despite the three confirmed cases of Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 in Iloilo.
“It’s too early for that,” said Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
Omicron is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
For now, according to Lacson, observing the situation would suffice.
Lacson also assured Negrenses that COVID-19-related hospital admissions in the province remained low and most of the cases were mild.
With the election period now coming to a close, Lacson also said there is no more reason for the mass convergence of people and that the situation has now become more of a behavioral concern on how people should regard COVID-19.
“Do we take it lightly or we take it seriously? I hope we take it seriously and protect ourselves,” he said.
Since the province reopened its doors earlier this year following the sharp decline in COVID-19 cases, the volume of inbound travelers is getting close to pre-pandemic levels.
Even outgoing Bacolod City mayor Evelio Leonardia announced in April that the MassKara Festival is set to resume in October of this year, although incoming Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez has yet to announce if he would proceed with the resumption of the world-class festival.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the detection of three cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1. in Western Visayas – a vaccinated returning overseas Filipino from the United States (Iloilo City) and two local cases (Iloilo province)./PN