By Jhon Aldrin Casinas San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora has placed himself under self-quarantine after one of his staff has tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora
(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) “This morning at around 10 a.m., I was informed by our City Health Officer that one of my staff in the Mayor’s office tested positive for COVID-19,” Zamora said in a statement Sunday. “In the interest of public safety, I will be going on self-quarantine starting today March 29 up to April 11, 2020,” he added. The city mayor shared that he is in “perfect physical condition” and has no COVID-19 symptoms. “But because I have been exposed to a positive patient, I have decided to go on self-quarantine as a safety precaution for everyone,” he said. Zamora said he had spoken to his staff who tested positive for COVID-19, who said that he is not experiencing fever, cough, or colds. “Still, I have asked him to avail of the necessary treatment and to go on quarantine effective immediately.” The mayor assured his constituents that he will still be on top of the city’s day-to-day operations, most especially the medical and social aspects of their battle against the disease. “I will continue to be active on social media, posting updates and advisories,” he said. According to the city government’s latest tally, San Juan currently has 73 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 10 deaths, as of March 27, 6 p.m. Most of the cases were recorded in Barangay Greenhills (19) and in Barangay West Crame (13). As of writing, San Juan also has 125 persons under investigation (PUIs) and 262 persons under monitoring (PUMs). Zamora was the latest local chief executive in Metro Manila to have announced that he would undergo self-quarantine after being exposed to a person positive for COVID-19. Earlier this month, mayors of CAMANAVA area (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela) have reportedly undergone self-quarantine after attending an event where one attendee has later tested positive for the disease. Despite the threat of the disease, Zamora has been on the ground monitoring the measures being implemented by the city government to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The latest of which was on March 27, Friday, when he signed a memorandum of agreement with officials of Xavier School for the conversion of San Juan Science High School to a 100-bed overflow quarantine facility for the city’s PUIs. The mayor then led the ocular visit of the school building accompanied by some members of the media and other officials, according to a Facebook live video posted on his social media page.