DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 March) – Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has voluntarily gone into a 14-day self-quarantine after manifesting symptoms of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) three weeks after visiting Metro Manila, Mayor Sara Duterte said Monday.
In an interview with the Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) 87.5, the presidential daughter said her brother has “isolated” himself from his family after suffering from sore throat, cough and fever.
The vice mayor is now considered as a person under monitoring (PUM), she stressed.
According to the Department of Health, a PUM is a person with a travel history to countries or areas with confirmed COVID-19 cases but does not exhibit signs or symptoms of the disease.
But even if the vice mayor showed symptoms, Sara said she did not advise him to undergo testing since he visited Manila three weeks ago, which is already beyond the 14-day incubation period for the novel coronavirus disease.
“I hope you get well soon Vice Mayor Baste, and I hope wala kay (you don’t have) COVID- 19,” she said.
Sara suspected that Baste is suffering from tonsillitis or the inflammation of the tonsils, which, according to her, is a recurring ailment for the vice mayor.
Baste is the youngest son of President Rodrigo R. Duterte with former wife Elizabeth Zimmerman.
Mayor Duterte and Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon had jointly issued a statement that they would enforce a “partial lockdown on all our entry and exit points” starting at 7 p.m. on Sunday after the Department of Health in Region 11 (Davao region) confirmed that the 21-year-old person under investigation (PUI) had tested positive for COVID-19.
A patient is considered a PUI when he or she suffered from any symptoms of the disease like cough, fever and difficulty of breathing; travelled to restricted countries with a high number of COVID-19 cases; or had direct contact with patients positive for COVID-19.