Coronavirus: Philippines charges woman who skipped quarantine to party
- Filipino woman who flew to Manila from the US and attended a party the next day infected at least 15 close contacts
- With about 2.84 million cases and 51,504 deaths, the Philippines has the second highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia
Philippine officials on Friday warned against a rise in Covid-19 cases over the New Year period as infections in the Southeast Asian country hit a two-month high, amid concerns that the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus could spread.
The health ministry recorded 2,961 new coronavirus infections on Friday and reported a positivity rate of 10.3 per cent, double the 5 per cent recommended by the World Health Organization.
“We cannot sugarcoat this. This is not how we want to start the year 2022,” presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles told a regular news conference.
With roughly 2.84 million total confirmed cases and 51,504 deaths, the Philippines has the second highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia.
The Philippines has so far detected four Omicron cases, all of which were in quarantine, although the country’s genome sequencing capacity is limited.
“It is prudent to assume that Omicron is already in circulation, or is already in the community,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque told a separate news conference.
Philippine authorities were preparing charges against a Filipino traveller who turned out to be Covid-positive but allegedly skipped quarantine and attended a party, where she infected other people, officials said on Friday.
The Filipino woman arrived from the United States on December 22, but supposedly told friends at a party the following day that she was able to leave her quarantine hotel in the Makati City area of Greater Manila because she has good connections.
The woman turned out to be positive after testing on the fifth day and has since been isolated. At least 15 of her close contacts have also since tested positive for Covid-19, according to Interior Secretary Eduard Ano.
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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Philippines
“Anybody who needs to be prosecuted, will be prosecuted,” presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said on Friday. “The laws are in place, not for anything, but for everyone’s protection.”
“Make no mistake, anybody who violates, the law will catch up to you,” he added. “So, don’t try it, do not test the law, please.”
Under current protocols, international travellers are required to quarantine for at least five days, when they are tested for Covid-19 and allowed to leave as soon as they get a negative result.
