Mayor of Tuburan, Cebu, tests positive for coronavirus

Tuburan Mayor Danny Diamante posted a statement on the Municipality of Tuburan Facebook page confirming that he is COVID-positive on Sunday, August 16.

Diamante said in a statement posted on social media that he has been self-isolating on August 11 when he began showing symptoms of the virus. He was swabbed the following day on August 12, then his results came back positive two days later on August 14.

“Bisan pa man sa atong hugot nga pagpatuman sa quarantine protocols ug guidlines ubanan pa sa atong pag-aping ug pag-ampo nga dili kita masudlan ug mahilayo kita sa hulga sa sakit nga COVID-19, akong dakong kasubo nga ipadangat kaninyo nga ako si Patient 10 nga natakdan sa maong sakit,” read the statement.

(Even with strict implementation of the quarantine protocols and guidelines coupled with ample care and prayers that we would be far from the threat of the COVID-19 disease, it is with great sorrow that I announce to all of you that I am Patient 10, who’s contracted the disease.)

Following his test results, Diamante immediately ordered the municipal hall to be disinfected, closed the mayor’s office temporarily, and asked health officials to do contact-tracing of those he had interacted with days prior to testing positive.

Diamante is the 4th mayor in Cebu island to test positive for the coronavirus disease.

Tuburan is a 2nd class municipality with a population of about 62,000 people on the northeastern coast of Cebu. The town is about 82 kilometers away from Cebu City.

Before Diamante, Daanbatayan Mayor Sun Shimura and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan also disclosed their coronavirus statuses previously. Both local chiefs have recovered and returned to work.

During her Cebu Provincial Charter Day message on August 6, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia also announced that her brother, Barili Mayor Marlon Garcia, tested positive for the virus. (READ: Cebu Province prioritizing agriculture once pandemic is over)

Days prior to the announcement, Marlon was with the governor and other government officials during the formal launching of Cebu Province’s tourism activities.

The governor herself tested for the virus on August 6 and showed her negative result to the public on August 10.

Cebu City, Lapu-lapu City, and Mandaue City are now under general community quarantine (GCQ), while the rest of Cebu province has been under modified GCQ since late May.

As of Monday evening, August 17, Cebu province has about 2,308 total cases with about 631 active cases. The number of total cases in the Central Visayas region is at 17,891.

The Philippines has a total of 164,474 coronavirus cases so far. – Rappler.com