Pasay City Rep. Antonino Calixto tested positive for COVID-19 while his sister Mayor Imelda Rubiano went on self-isolation after exposure to another infected individual.
In a statement, Calixto said he has sought medical attention after experiencing dry cough on Monday. He added he is now working from home while on self-quarantine.
According to the lawmaker, his close contacts, particularly his immediate family, also underwent swab tests, and were found negative of the virus.
“Still, they were required to stay at home for at least 14 days as prescribed by health experts,” he said.
Those working in Calixto’s office, who had personally met him, also underwent medical examination, and they were advised to also stay at home for two weeks.
Calixto’s younger sister Mayor Rubiano, meanwhile, went into self-isolation beginning Tuesday after having in close contact with a COVID-19 positive person during a meeting.
Rubiano said she and her brother were not in the same meeting. She added she will have a swab test in five days to determine whether or not she contracted the disease.
“Right now, I’m in good condition and undergoing self-isolation so I may not infect others, just in case,” said the city chief executive who, in February 2021, tested positive for the deadly virus.
At the moment, Rubiano said she is working from home and continue performing her duties and remains on top of the situation in managing the operations of the city government.
On Wednesday, she ordered all Pasay City Hall departments and officials to assure continuous services for the people while she is under isolation.
Rubiano also instructed the City Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit (CESU) to ramp up its contact tracing and testing to get a clearer picture of how vast the disease has spread in a city of 416,522 people.
Between Sept. 1 – 6, CESU was able to check 4,909 people using RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test, while 500 people underwent antigen tests.