BACOLOD CITY – The Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center Task Force (EOC-TF) is planning to implement a 1:1 patient-to-room accommodation ratio in a bid to further contain the spread of COVID-19 here.

This is in light of the continued decline in the number of cases in Bacolod, according to City Administrator Em Ang, executive director and deputy for administration and operations of the EOC-TF.

The decrease resulted in the underutilization of at least two isolation facilities in the city located at Luisa Medel National High School and at Bata Elementary School.

Ang said the underutilization may result in the eventual reduction of the isolation facilities. She, however, added that the EOC-TF will make sure that all COVID-19 asymptomatic and mild patients would still be accommodated.

The low utilization rate of isolation facilities would allow the city government to save resources and allow the deployment of healthcare workers to highly utilized isolation facilities to aid in the shifting rotation of the staff.

Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan, EOC deputy for medical, said the utilization rate of the isolation facilities in Bacolod public schools only peaked at 15 percent Tuesday.

Data from the EOC-TF showed that of 576 beds, only 84 were utilized, leaving 492 beds available, or an 85 percent available bed capacity.

Councilor Renecito Novero, chair of the Quarantine Centers Action Team, said the city has a bigger number of facilities reserved, unlike two months ago, when they were worried that they might not have enough rooms due to the overwhelming number of people who need to be isolated.

“Let’s be grateful that up to date, the number of people who need isolation keeps reducing,” Novero added.

Bacolod has only 272 active cases out of the total 4,873 COVID cases as of Nov. 4.