17 Navotas partygoers face raps for quarantine breach; 6 infected with COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Navotas Police has filed complaints against 17 residents who attended a party last May amid the restrictions on mass gathering during the coronavirus quarantine, City Mayor Toby Tiangco said Tuesday.

Six of the 17 attendees later on tested positive of COVID-19.

Tiangco said cases were filed against the residents who attended a party last May 14 at H. Monroy Street in Barangay Navotas West for violation of social distancing measures.

The street was subsequently placed under total lockdown from June 11 to June 24 after 14 residents tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19. Among the 14 are the six attendees, the mayor said.

Some of those who attended the party were related.

The cases filed were a violation of Revised Penal Code or resistance and disobedience to persons in authority,  Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, Quarantine Act of 2004, and omnibus guidelines on the implementation of community quarantine.

Tiangco, in a statement, said the gathering posed a risk to the health of other residents on H. Monroy Street.

“The family’s utter disregard of safety regulations endangered their lives and all those living at H. Monroy. Their reckless act thwarted our efforts to prevent further transmission of COVID-19 and keep our people safe,” he said.

EDV