Guv tests positive for COVID-19

By John Noel E. Herrera

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. has tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019, the Iloilo Provincial Government announced on Thursday, Oct 6, 2022.

“We would like to inform the public that Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. tested positive for COVID-19,” the provincial government said on its Facebook page.

The governor underwent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-CPR) testing on Wednesday morning and his positive test result came out in the afternoon.

All close contacts of the governor, including some employees in the Provincial Capitol, are also being identified for contract tracing to check if they have also contracted the virus and to make sure that no surge, especially inside the Capitol, will happen.

The provincial government also announced that the Office of the Governor would be temporarily closed for disinfection.

Defensor will also be working from home in the meantime, while other transactions will be handled by the Provincial Administrator’s Office.

The governor also cancelled his regular press conference with the Iloilo Provincial Capitol Press Corp (IPCPC) today, Oct 7, 2022.

Defensor, who is already fully vaccinated and being isolated in their home in Mandurriao, Iloilo, is experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19 like headache and fever.

There is no information yet coming from Defensor or the provincial government as to where the governor contracted the virus.

Meanwhile, data from the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas indicated that there are already 47,651 COVID-19 cases with 1,575 fatalities in Iloilo province, as of Oct 5, 2022.

Data also showed that out of 47,651 cases, 602 are still active, while 45,439 have already recovered.