Two priests who arrived in Iloilo City from Metro Manila have contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to the Department of Health-Region 6 on Tuesday.
According to Dr. Jessie Glen Alonsabe of the DOH-6, the two priests were added on the list of positive cases last week.
Father Angelo Colada, the spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Jaro, confirmed that two religious priests who arrived in Iloilo from Metro Manila last Sunday were positive for COVID-19.
Colada said the priests were not from Western Visayas and had been assigned to Iloilo to serve as the community’s religious priest.
Because the priests had not yet made a courtesy call to the archdiocese, it was a great challenge to assist them, Colada said.
He added that priests had RT-PCR tests before leaving Metro Manila and were negative for COVID-19, but when they arrived in Iloilo, they found that they were positive for the disease after another test.
The archdiocese continues to contact priests to assist them with their needs during their stay in the quarantine facilities.
According to Colada, the two priests were asymptomatic.
Last month, two churches in Quiapo and Malate, Manila, were placed under lockdown after several priests tested positive for COVID-19.
The government allowed churches to re-open in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified (GCQ) at reduced capacity.
Also read: 2 churches in Quiapo, Malate, locked down after priests tested positive for COVID-19
Areas under ECQ, GCQ, MGCQ
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced the latest list of community quarantine designations:
Enhanced Community Quarantine
- Cebu City
General Community Quarantine
- National Capital Region
- Benguet
- Cavite
- Rizal
- Lapu Lapu City
- Mandaue City
- Leyte
- Ormoc
- Southern Leyte
- Talisay City, Cebu
- Towns of Minglanilla and Consolacion in Cebu province
Modified General Community Quarantine (With strict local action)
- CAR: Abra, Baguio City, Ifugao, Kalinga
- Region 1: Ilocos Norte, La Union, Pangasinan
- Region 2: Cagayan, Isabela
- Region 3: Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Angeles City
- Region 4A: Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Lucena City
- Region 4B: Palawan, Puerto Princesa City
- Region 5: Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Naga City
- Region 6: Capiz, Iloilo, Iloilo City, Negros Occidental, Bacolod City
- Region 7: Cebu Province, Bohol, Negros Oriental
- Region 8: Tacloban City, Western Samar
- Region 9: Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur
- Region 10: Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro
- Region 11: Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao City, Davao de Oro
- Region 12: Cotabato, South Cotabato
- Region 13: Agusan del Norte, Butuan City
- BARMM: Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur
Modified General Community Quarantine of low risk
- Rest of the Philippines
As of July 7, the country recorded a total of 47, 873 cases with 12,386 recoveries, and 1,309 deaths.