BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – While waiting for his coronavirus disease 2019 test results (COVID-19), a locally stranded individual in Barangay Lopez Jaena, Murcia, Negros Occidental escaped the mandatory quarantine to attend a birthday party of his child. He turned out positive.
Town mayor Gerry Rojas said this asymptomatic male LSI was immediately brought to the town’s quarantine facility.
According to Rojas, the LSI arrived at Bredco Port here from Mandurriao, Iloilo City on July 20.
Under the provincial government’s quarantine measures, individuals with a residency outside of Bacolod need to undergo reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test upon arrival. They are also required to go on quarantine until their results come out.
However, according to Rojas, the LSI – after taking his RT-PCR test – proceeded to the birthday party of his child, which was also attended by four individuals, including Murcia’s Patient No. 11.
The LSI’s positive test result was released on July 22.
Rojas ordered contact tracing for those who have attended the party in the hope of stopping the transmission.
However, as of press time, it was not immediately established how many close contacts so far have been traced. They underwent RT-PCR test last Saturday, Rojas said./PN
