By Leslie Aquino The Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or Quiapo Church is currently on lockdown tentatively until July 4 after a priest who stayed with them for three months tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Father Douglas Badong, parochial vicar of Quiapo Church, said they decided to close the church effective June 19 after learning the priest’s positive test. “He stayed with us for three months because days before his flight to Mindanao, the lockdown was declared,” Badong said in an interview. “When it was declared that it’s already okay to travel, he had a rapid test and it was negative. He left June 13...when he arrived in their place he was tested again and both his rapid and swab tests were positive,” added Badong. He said they were already informed by the priest that he is already COVID-free. Nevertheless, to be safe they decided to close the church to the public, Badong said. “We don’t know where he got it. To protect the people, we closed the church for the meantime,” Badong said. All priests and staff in Quiapo are also undergoing self-quarantine while the church is being disinfected, he added. “So far, none of us have symptoms. Last Wednesday, we had rapid test and it was negative,” he said.