ILOILO City – Two priests who recently arrived in this city for their new assignment tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Mayor Jerry Treñas confirmed this during a press briefing on Tuesday, saying the priests arrived in the city on a ship from Metro Manila. All asymptomatic, they were immediately quarantined, he added.
“Waay kita kabalo nagderetso lang sila sa Jubilee Hall, nagpa-swab kag nag-positive,” the mayor said.
The priests were on the list of positive cases since last week, according to Dr. Jane Juanico, head of the Infectious Disease Section of the Department of Health Region 6.
Their entry to the city, Juanico explained, was under the authorized persons outside of residence (APOR) status.
APOR status only allows one to travel for purposes of work without having to obtain a travel authority from the Philippine National Police.
“Very minimal lang ang contact tracing because nga gamay man ang close contacts nila,” Juanico said.
In an interview with Panay News, Reverend Father Angelo Colada, director of social communications of the Archdiocese of Jaro, disclosed the priests were members of a religious congregation assigned to communities in the city for “mission purposes” but were still to report to the archdiocese.
“The missionary priests are originally from Manila. They are here [Iloilo] to help the local Church in our apostolate and mission for the poor. Religious congregations are welcome to help in the diocese’s mission for the underprivileged,” Father Colada said in a statement.
Colada said the priests could have contracted the virus from previous assignments and mission areas in Manila.
“They [two priests] probably got the virus from their previous apostolate areas in Manila,” Colada added.
The two missionaries, according to Colada, were tested before leaving Manila and yielded negative results. But when one of them had a sore throat upon arrival at the airport, local authorities required them to undergo tests. They were currently isolated in a quarantine facility in Iloilo City.
Allaying public fears, Colada said: “Wala man makasulod sa mga simbahan ang duha ka mga pari bangod ang assignment nila mag-conduct sang mass sa community.
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets also land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough.
Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell./PN
