By Hanah Tabios
The provincial government of Laguna confirmed Sunday midnight the province’s first positive case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The announcement was made by Governor Ramil Hernandez as the Philippine government officially placed the whole of Metro Manila under community quarantine.
On Sunday evening, the health department confirmed that the patient is a 41–year-old Filipino male with travel history from another coronavirus infected country Japan.
Hernandez said the patient is a resident of an urbanized town Sta. Rosa.
He is currently confined at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
Hernandez said the provincial government unit was exerting all efforts to undertake contact tracing for the patient so as to contain the spread the virus.
The local chief executive also pleaded for the cooperation of his constituents.
Classes in the whole province for both public and private schools are also suspended until March 20.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said there will be no road closures yet until they review the results of the first day of the community quarantine.
Starting 12 midnight, authorities were deployed in several entryways to check people going in and out of Metro Manila.