JORDAN, Guimaras – The St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Barangay Poblacion here was locked down beginning Nov. 17.
Its 64-year-old parish priest tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), said Mayor Ruben Corpuz.
In Executive Order No. 58, Series of 2020 issued on Tuesday, the mayor said the lockdown aimed “to control the spread of COVID-19.”
The lockdown is open-ended. Cruz did not set any date for its lifting.
The priest tested positive for the illness on Nov. 16. He was a close contact of an earlier confirmed COVID-19 case.
As of Nov. 17, Jordan had 14 confirmed COVID-19 positive cases.
Corpuz ordered the following measures:
1. All individuals in the said location are not allowed to go out and shall undergo strict home quarantine for 14 days.
2. Only the health personnel from the Municipal Health Team are allowed to contact the individuals in this location for constant monitoring.
3. Food supplies will be provided by the municipal government of Jordan in the duration of the lockdown.
Corpuz said it was learned that the priest held a Mass and a baptismal rite on Sunday morning, Nov. 15.
But Father Angelo Colada, director of the Archdiocese of Jaro’s Commission on Social Communications, said someone from the Rural Health Unit (RHU) of Jordan phoned the priest on Saturday, Nov. 14, informing him that his test result was negative for COVID-19, thus he went ahead with the Mass and baptismal rite.
Then on Nov. 16 the priest was again called up by the RHU; this time he was told that his test was in fact positive for COVID-19.
As this was being written, contact tracing is ongoing. As of Tuesday, 11 persons have been traced and swabbed.
The priest, on the other hand, is in the quarantine facility of Jordan. He is asymptomatic.
Colada no Masses would be celebrated during the duration of the lockdown./PN
