DAGUPAN CITY –– Four residents of Ilocos Norte, three of whom had a travel history to Metro Manila, tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), authorities said.
Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc said the patients include a 20-year-old pregnant woman from Barangay 16; a 21-year-old nurse from San Vicente, Laoag City; and a 24-year-old woman from Pagudpud.
The other case is a 44-year-old utility worker from Barangay Saud, also in Pagudpud.
Manotoc said a member of the Philippine Air Force stationed at the Laoag International Airport also tested positive for COVID-19. But he was not included in the provincial tally because he is from Metro Manila.
According to Manotoc, all the cases are asymptomatic, and their close contacts have been identified and quarantined.
The governor said three sitios (sub-villages) of Barangay Saud in Pagudpud town were placed on lockdown because two of the patients reside there.
Ilocos Norte has the least number of COVID-19 cases among the four provinces of Region I. It has nine cases, four of them active, and zero deaths.