South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO [From the South Cotabato provincial government’s official FB page]
KORONADAL CITY, Philippines – South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. has allowed the vice governor to temporarily take over the reins of the province as he announced to supporters that he tested positive for Covid-19.
“Since I cannot physically perform my duties, I entrust the management of the province to Vice Governor (Vicente) de Jesus until I can fully recover,” Tamayo Jr. said in a statement posted on the provincial government’s official FB page Sunday afternoon.
The governor learned of the result of his real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on Friday, Feb. 19. He admitted to having close contact with a Covid-19 patient on Feb. 16.
“On Wednesday, February 17, I tested negative,” the governor posted on his FB page. “On Thursday, February 18, I experienced the first few symptoms. On Friday, February 19, I tested positive via RT-PCR testing,” Tamayo said.
“I’ve been on quarantine since the testing and except for my family members who all tested negative as of February 20, Saturday, I have no other close contact (with other people),” the governor said.
On Dec. 17 last year, Tamayo went into isolation with his seven-year-old son after the child contracted the SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
“My wife (has been) immuno-compromised,” Tamayo said then, to explain why he had to join his son in isolation. “I have no choice, even if I was tested negative, (but) to be with him for the next 14 days in the isolation facility,” he said.
His nine other family members also tested positive for the SARS-CoV2 virus at that time but they all hurdled the disease. Tamayo, whose son eventually recovered, did not contract the disease at that time.