No changes in Duterte sked as PH reports new coronavirus cases — Panelo

MANILA, Philippines — There will be no changes in the schedule of President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang said Friday after health officials reported two new 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country.

“Knowing the President who doesn’t care less about his own safety from whether a virus or any other harm, he will proceed with the schedule. Unless there are other events that will change his movements,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters in Malacañang.

“Even if you want to (limit his movements) this President his workaholic,” he added.

In an interview last month, Duterte said he was not keen on limiting his engagements despite the COVID-19 scare. He also said that he cannot avoid going out in public and shake the hands of the people he meets.

The Department of Health (DOH) earlier reported two new COVID-19 infections in the Philippines, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the country to five.

The first three confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country involved three Chinese nationals. The first two cases were a Chinese couple who traveled to the country from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak. The man died on Feb. 1, while the woman has been cleared of the virus. The third case, meanwhile, was a 60-year-old Chinese woman who arrived in Cebu City from Wuhan via Hong Kong on Jan. 20 has also returned to China.