PILI, Camarines Sur, July 6 (PIA) --  As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to escalate in Camarines Sur, the Bicol Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease under Resolution No. 2021-012, approved Governor Miguel Villafuerte’s appeal to extend the classification of 34 LGUs under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) status for the next 15 days.

In consonance with this, Villafuerte issued Executive Order No.7, series of 2021, citing the risk classifications of 34 municipalities and imposition of stricter measures and protocols for minimal risk, low risk, moderate and high-risk municipalities.

The municipality of Lupi replaced Balatan and Sagñay under the high- risk category when GCQ was first imposed from June 18 to 30.

Included in the Moderate Risk classification are 15 municipalities which include the local government units of Baao, Buhi, Cabusao, Canaman, Caramoan, Del Gallego, Gainza, Libmanan, Milaor, Ocampo, Pamplona, Pili, Presentacion, San Fernando and the City of Iriga.

The municipalities of Balatan, Bato, Bombon, Bula, Calabanga, Camaligan, Garchitorena, Goa, Lagonoy, Magarao, Nabua, Pasacao, Ragay, Sagñay, San Jose, Sipocot, Siruma, Tigaon and Tinambac are placed under Low-Risk Category.

All the aforementioned municipalities will be placed under GCQ while Minalabac will be placed under MGCQ from July 1 to 15.

Minalabac was classified as Minimal Risk, replacing the municipalities of Gainza, Libmanan, Lupi and Del Gallego which now belong to higher categories due to an increase of COVID cases in the past 2 weeks.

In the issued Executive Order, the Governor cited the fluctuating incidence rate of COVID cases in the province and the need to execute the necessary health measures and protocols to lower, if not totally stop the further spread of the virus, especially with the identification of numerous variants. 

The Bicol Medical Center’s (BMC) ICU beds are still in full capacity, the very reason why everyone is advised to strictly follow the basic health standards from the simple measure of wearing face masks, washing of hands to adherence to proper social distancing.

For the last 6 days, PDRRMC CamSur COVID center registered the following COVID cases:  July 1- 26; July 2-29; July 3-30; July 4-46, July 5- 29 and July 6- 41.  (LSM/PIA Bicol))