MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo said on Saturday that she will go on quarantine after her close-in security staff tested positive for COVID-19, prompting her to cancel a trip to Bicol.
In a Facebook post, Robredo said she received a call from a contact tracer informing her that her security detail was found positive for the disease.
“I was with him in the car, in the elevator, and in the office almost everyday this week,” Robredo said.
“We have regular surveillance antigen testing in the office and we do follow very strict health protocols but because I was a very close contact, I need to do the required quarantine and do an RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test after my quarantine,” she added.
The Vice President said she was supposed to leave for Bicol when she received the phone call.
“Was supposed to leave for Bicol after our Swab Cab closes today to pay my respects and say my final goodbye to a good friend who left us a few days ago after a long bout with cancer,” she explained.
According to Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez, Robredo tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday prior to her scheduled trip to Bicol.
“But one of the security officers that was supposed to accompany her, and with whom she had been in contact with, tested positive. Following protocol, she has gone into quarantine for the mandated seven-day period, after which she will again be tested,” Gutierrez said.
He added that Robredo is showing no symptoms and will continue to supervise all operations of her office, including the Bayanihan E-consulta and the Swab Cab while she is undergoing quarantine.
The country currently has 193,476 active COVID-19 cases, with additional 10,726 infections reported on Friday.