COVID-19 scare force senators to go into self-quarantine

The sudden spike in COVID-19 infections has forced some of the country’s political leaders to temporarily stay away from their loved ones.

For Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, spending time in voluntary isolation provided him some realizations.

“It’s hard to be alone. Actually, I have learned to wash the dishes and do the laundry since I’m on my own,” Gatchalian said on Friday.

“The microwave has become my best friend,” added the 45-year-old legislator.

Gatchalian and 25 of his staff members opted to go on a 14-day self-quarantine after one of the resource persons who attended a March 5 hearing he presided over tested positive for the virus.

Gatchalian said a review of the security cameras in the Senate building showed that he and Sen. Nancy Binay, who also went on self-quarantine, did not have any direct physical contact with the resource person during the hearing.

“[That means there’s] a low chance of contracting the virus,” he told reporters in a Viber message.

In a Facebook post, Binay seemed to be spending her time away doing some household chores.

“My 14-day self-quarantine may not be enough to finish my laundry,” Binay captioned a photo of laundry baskets filled with dirty clothes.