By ZALDY COMANDA
“The seriousness of COVID-19 pandemic should not be taken for granted.”
This was the advice of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, the country’s contact tracing czar, after he tested positive for coronavirus disease on Friday.
“It is with a sad note that I would like to inform everyone that as of my RT-PCR test conducted yesterday morning (April 2, 2021), to which my results came out at 4:30 p.m. of the same day, I was tested positive of the Covid-19 virus,” Magalong said in a social media post.
Magalong said contact tracing efforts are underway for those whom he had come into close contact with. He also strongly advised everybody to observe the minimum health standards.
“Indeed, this news came out as a devastating blow for me and my family.
The seriousness of this pandemic is something that we should not take for granted. It is a difficult situation and I don’t want anyone of you to be in this condition as it is emotionally, psychologically and financially difficult for our loved ones to bear,” he stressed.
“However, despite the predicament I am in, please be rest assured that we are still monitoring closely the city’s situation and coordinating to the proper authorities the necessary things to be done,” he added.
“Again, I am calling for everyone’s consideration to further observe protocols. Let us do this for our family, our friends and everyone we care for.”
He urged the public to “work as one and let us all heal as one.”
On Tuesday, March 29, while he was at the city hall, Magalong learned that one of his family members got positive for COVID-19. He immediately announced that he would go on quarantine.