MANILA, Philippines (Updated 11:18 a.m.) — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said Wednesday that she tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
In a statement posted on Quezon City Government’s Facebook page, Belmonte said she is not experiencing any symptoms. “Nagpapasalamat po ako na agad itong natuklasan,” she added.
The QC mayor also said that the QC Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit immediately started its contact tracing procedures. Her office and the common areas at the city hall will also be temporarily closed for disinfection.
Belmonte, however, assured her constituents that services of the local government unit shall continue despite her undergoing quarantine.
“Even though my movement will be restricted, I will continue to focus on the situation and needs of the entire Quezon City,” she added.
She also said she has always known of the possibility that she may contract the coronavirus. She said in Filipino: “Due to visitation to our health centers and hospitals, special lockdown areas and other communities to learn about their situation, since the start, we know that there is a possibility for this to happen. But I do not regret this. I prepared myself and accepted this wholeheartedly.”
Belmonte added that she contracted the virus despite following all quarantine protocols, including wearing of face masks, frequent handwashing and practicing physical distancing.
“Kaya sana ay magsilbi itong paalala na ang COVID-19 ay tunay na isang kakaibang sakit na dapat pag-ingatan pa nang lubusan,” she added.
(I wish that this serves as a reminder that we should continue to take extreme caution against COVID-19 that is a truly extraordinary sickness.)
As of Tuesday, the Department of Health recorded a total of 47,873 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country. Death toll is at 1,309, while there are 12,386 who have so far recovered from the disease.
The number of active cases in the country stood at 34,178. — Kristine Joy Patag
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Disclosure: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is a shareholder of Philstar Global Corp., which operates digital news outlet Philstar.com. This article was produced following editorial guidelines.