MANILA, Philippines — The mayor of Caba town in La Union and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.
“It is with great sadness that we publicly announce that we are positive of the coronavirus disease 2019 per DOH-RITM (Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) as relayed by the DOH Center for Health Region 1,” read a statement from Mayor Philip Crispino and his wife, Sanggunian Bayan Member Donna Crispino. on Friday.
“We are doing this to give you the right information coming right from us, to stop rumors and fake news for the good of our municipality,” read the statement, which was shared by the Caba local government unit on its Facebook page.
The two officials said they have observed measures to prevent infection but still contracted it “with minor symptoms.”
They warned that their case shows how easily the virus is spread.
Both are currently in “very stable condition and in excellent health” as 16 days have already passed since their self-imposed home quarantine, the statement noted.
“We apologize to those who we came in contact with directly from February 29 onwards. Our government is doing contact tracing so please inform your barangay captain or the barangay health emergency response team for your guidance,” the couple also said.
“We are very sorry. We never wanted this to happen,” they added.
The two likewise advised their constituents to comply with guidelines imposed by the government against COVID-19.
“Please stay at home. Be responsible. Practice mandatory home quarantine. Be calm. Let us pray harder in this most crucial time,” they said.