Coronavirus: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to undergo testing

Duterte, 74, is in a vulnerable age group for the virus and will be tested as a precaution, his spokesman said

It followed two of his key economic officials quarantining themselves after coming into contact with an infected person

Reading Time:2 minutes

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte pictured delivering a speech in July last year. Photo: EPA

Published: 10:10am, 12 Mar 2020Updated: 12:19pm, 12 Mar 2020

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, 74, will be tested for the new coronavirus and his key economic officials – including the central bank governor and finance minister – are going into quarantine as infections in the country rise.

The Philippines has seen a jump this week in cases, including people who recently attended events with Senate lawmakers and government officials, potentially exposing them.

The central bank, finance department, the Senate and the Asian Development Bank will close from Thursday for disinfecting, they said in separate statements. The Department of Health said on Wednesday that a second person had died, out of the 49 confirmed cases of the virus in the country.

Open-market and settlement operations at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as well as servicing of banks’ cash withdrawals will continue as usual, the central bank said in a statement.

A worker sprays disinfectant along a street near a public market in Manila on Wednesday. Photo: DPA

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade separately said they will be going into quarantine after meeting with an infected person.

“No off-cycle meeting is contemplated,” Diokno said in a text message. He plans to participate remotely at the bank’s March 19 rate-setting meeting, saying “we have the technology”.