Contact tracing czar Magalong tests positive for COVID-19

Contact tracing top man and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Saturday said he tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019.

“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 Facebook post.

“Contact tracing efforts are underway for those whom I have come into close contact with. I also strongly advise everybody to observe the minimum health standards,” he said.

According to him, the 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... 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 said.

Despite this, he said "Please rest assured that we are still monitoring closely the situation and coordinating with the proper authorities [on] the necessary things to be done.”

Moreover, Magalong called for further observance of health protocols. 

“Let us do this for our family, our friends and everyone we care for. In these challenging times, let us all work as one and let us all heal as one.Thank you and please keep safe,” Magalong said. —Ted Cordero/LBG, GMA News