BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo of Moises Padilla town, Negros Occidental has tested positive for COVID-19.
Her husband and daughter also got infected with the virus.
Yulo said her office is temporarily closed until further notice since all her staff members are isolated.
The Registrar’s Office has also been closed for disinfection.
“We will resume operations once our local health officer has given us clearance to do so,” she said.
Yulo said she and her husband had slight fevers on Tuesday and immediately underwent antigen tests with their 21-year-old daughter.
They were subsequently swabbed and were found to have acquired the virus.
The mayor said more than 20 of her close contacts were swabbed on Thursday.
“Our government has been fighting the battle with COVID-19 for more than a year and we are almost exhausting our resources in order to protect the health of the public as well as help our citizens with this overwhelming ordeal, but our government can only do so much if the citizens of this country refuse to cooperate even in the most simplest of protocols,” she said.
Yulo reiterated the need to wear face masks, practice social distancing and frequent hand washing, and avoid mass gatherings.
“This virus does not discriminate, and no amount of money can resolve this problem except the will of our people,” she said.