The Quezon City (QC) government on Wednesday, November 6, reported that a sixth individual has contracted mpox in the city.
The patient is a 31-year-old male resident who exhibited symptoms on October 18. The Quezon City Health Department’s City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division (CESD) received the positive result on October 31.
During his assessment with the CESD, the patient revealed that he visited F Club on October 5, that was also previously identified by other patients as the possible place of their exposure to mpox.
Meanwhile, the Business Permits and Licensing Department (BPLD) issued a cease and desist order (CDO) against the club for refusing to cooperate with the city's contact tracing team and violating Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Concern Act on August 24.
Despite the standing CDO, the BPLD received a new business application under the business name "F.I.N.E Wellness Bar and F.I.N.E Spa," but used the same address and facilities as the club.
Its application is currently on hold after the inspectors’ findings.
Before the confirmation of the latest mpox case, it turned out that the club resumed operation using the new business application.
"In the interest of public health, we are serving the closure order to F Club and this FINE Wellness bar and Spa. Kahit magpalit pa kayo ng business name, hindi namin kayo papayagang mag-operate hanggat hindi pa kayo compliant sa mga batas, ordinansa at regulasyon ng lungsod (In the interest of public health, we are serving the closure order to F Club and this FINE Wellness bar and Spa. Even if you change your business name, we will not allow you to operate until you are compliant with the laws, ordinances and regulations of the city)," Mayor Joy Belmonte said.
"Hindi namin hahayaan na marami pang QCitizen ang malagay sa panganib. Ensuring the safety and well-being of our QCitizens remains our primordial duty (We will not allow more QCitizens to be put in danger. Ensuring the safety and well-being of our QCitizens remains our primordial duty)," the mayor added.