ILOILO City – Gov. Esteban Evan Contreras of Capiz province tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“I had my swab yesterday morning. Result is already out. I would like to officially announce that I tested COVID-19 positive,” he bared on Facebook early last night.
He was “asymptomatic as of this time,” Contreras added.
The governor immediately ordered the Provincial Health Office and the Provincial COVID-19 Task Force to isolate those who had contact with him and were exposed to him.
“I’m calling all those who had close contact with me since Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, to please isolate or quarantine yourselves and submit to RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test,” said Contreras.
Two staff of the governor’s office previously tested positive for COVID-19.
Contreras recently hogged headlines for the Capiz provincial government’s border restrictions that angered Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas.
Guidelines issued by Capiz considered travelers from the city as locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and thus must undergo a 14-day quarantine.
Treñas also slammed the Capiz capitol for allegedly prohibiting the entry of cargoes and essential supplies from Iloilo City – Region 6’s center of commerce and industry.
Contreras subsequently clarified that the restrictions were a precautionary measure as Iloilo City reverted to general community quarantine status beginning Aug. 16 due to a surge in locally transmitted cases of COVID-19.
The governor eventually lifted the medical certificate requirement for cargoes./PN
