DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 March) – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has put herself on self-quarantine starting Thursday, a day after her meeting in Manila with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian who was in direct contact with a patient who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“She is now confined in an isolated bedroom at her residence and will continue to work through emails, messaging, and videotelecon,” a statement released by the City Information Office read.
The mayor also signed herself up as a person under monitoring with the City Health Office, although she did not show any symptoms of the disease such as cough, fever and difficulty of breathing.
According to the statement, the mayor held a meeting with Gatchalian with whom she discussed ”important matters for Davao City” last Wednesday.
The senator announced that he and his staff would subject themselves to a self-quarantine after interacting with a resource person in a Senate hearing on March 5 who tested positive for the disease.
“One of Mayor Duterte’s employees at their residence was unwell last night and is now also listed as a Person Under Monitoring,” the statement added.
The Philippine government restricted travel to China, including Hong Kong and Macau, and South Korea, and imposed a selective travel ban on travelers from North Gyeongsang Province, including the city of Daegu, the center of the Covid-19 outbreak in South Korea.
On Saturday, the Department of Health raised an alert system to Code Red after it confirmed another two cases of Covid-19, one of them with no known travel history abroad. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
