No need for quarantine for Duterte, other Cabinet members, says Duque

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte presides over a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Malacañan Palace on March 16, 2020. KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte and other Cabinet members do not need to isolate themselves yet as Health Secretary Francisco Duque undergoes self-quarantine for possible exposure to the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Duque is currently under self-quarantine after a senior official of the Department of Health (DOH) tested positive for the respiratory virus.

The Health chief gave assurance on Thursday that during meetings, Cabinet members implemented social distancing and strictly abided by the DOH’s guidelines on hygiene such as handwashing and using disinfectants.

“Nagsocial distancing naman kami, malayo ‘yung distansya namin. Hindi na muna [kailangan mag-quarantine], wala naman pa akong test result eh,” Duque said in a radio interview over dzBB.

(We abided by social distancing. They don’t need to undergo quarantine because I don’t have any test results yet.)

Asked if President Duterte needs to undergo self-quarantine as well, Duque answered: “Hindi kailangan kasi malayo naman kami, tatlong metro.” (No need because we were far from each other, about three meters.)

The Health Secretary said that he is currently feeling fine and is not exhibiting symptoms of the virus. He is also working from home during the quarantine period.

To date, there are 202 individuals who were confirmed to have contracted the COVID-19, with 17 deaths and seven recoveries.

Most people who have COVID-19 can recover as its symptoms are mild, such as fever and cough. But the illness can be more serious for others, possibly leading to pneumonia, especially the older adults and those with existing health problems.

The World Health Organization declared the disease as a global pandemic after it killed nearly 5,000 people and infected 110,000 others worldwide.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.

The virus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but can cause serious illness such as pneumonia for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.

Coronavirus is a family of viruses, which surfaces have a crown-like appearance. The viruses are named for the spikes on their surfaces.

EDV