Classes suspended on Friday in Negros Oriental due to sore eyes
BACOLOD CITY – Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel "Chaco" Sagarbarria suspended classes on all levels in the province on Friday, Aug. 7, due to rising cases of conjunctivitis (sore eyes).
Sagarbarria issued Executive Order No. 50 on Wednesday, Aug. 5, approving the recommendation of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (PHO) to minimize close-contact exposure among learners, teaching personnel, and school employees.
He said the suspension of classes will also allow affected students and personnel to rest and seek medical attention and give schools adequate time to undertake cleaning, disinfection, and sanitation of classrooms, toilets, corridors, learning materials, and other frequently touched surfaces.
Parents, guardians, learners, teaching and non-teaching personnel, and the general public were strongly advised to observe proper hygiene and infection prevention measures, including frequent handwashing, avoiding the sharing of personal items, refraining from unnecessary close physical contact, and seeking appropriate medical consultation when symptoms of sore eyes appear.
"There is a need to adopt immediate preventive measures, in coordination with concerned local offices and school authorities, in order to protect public health and avoid further spread of infection," Sagarbarria said.
School administrators and heads of institutions may adopt appropriate alternative learning, make-up classes, or other administrative arrangements consistent with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, provided that the health and welfare of learners and personnel remain paramount.
The executive order explained that sore eyes, commonly associated with conjunctival infection or irritation, may spread quickly in school settings because of close physical interaction, shared surfaces, and common facilities.
The Department of Health-Negros Island Region (DOH-NIR) has received reports of cases but has yet to obtain official figures from local health offices.