DOH probing alleged COVID-19 quarantine protocol breach

Facade of the DOH main office in Manila. INQUIRER.net file photo

MANILA, Philippines —The Department of Health (DOH) is now investigating the alleged quarantine protocol breach involving a traveler from the United States who reportedly skipped the mandatory quarantine after her arrival in the Philippines.

A Twitter user earlier claimed that a “young lady” evaded the required quarantine and “went to parties” after arriving from the United States.

“Investigation is ongoing. All agencies involved are currently meeting and we will release information once complete. Rest assured contact tracing has commenced,” Dr. Beverlo Ho, director of the DOH Health Promotions Bureau, told reporters in a Viber message on Thursday.

In a statement on Wednesday night, the DOH added that it is aware of the circulating post about the alleged incident.

“We are still investigating the case and coordinating with concerned offices to further determine the veracity of the claims in the said post. We remind everyone to only share verified information from official sources to avoid confusing the public,” the DOH said.

The health department issued another statement on Thursday, noting reports on some travelers from abroad allegedly skipping quarantine rules set by the government.

“Now is not the time to relax and deliberately put others in danger,” the DOH stressed.

“The entire nation worked so hard to keep our cases down. Following minimum public health standards however uncomfortable at times, our healthcare and frontline workers working overtime to save lives, our LGUs, and the rest of the government carefully crafting policies so that we can balance health and economy—these are just some of the sacrifices we make so we can recover from the pandemic, return to work, and safety open up schools and establishments,” the DOH added.

The agency vowed that the government will ensure that violators “shall be dealt with in accordance with the law.”

“Keeping cases low and hospital admissions manageable is a whole-of-society effort. The DOH encourages the public to report individuals, establishments or LGUs violating quarantine protocols to local authorities to ensure its proper implementation and further prevent transmission of COVID-19,” the DOH further said.

/MUF