Belmonte says Arayat LGU’s move to restrict entry of QC residents ‘without basis’

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Tuesday criticized Arayat, Pampanga's imposition of travel restrictions on Quezon City residents over fears of the new virus variant, saying that the move was "totally without basis."

In a press statement, Belmonte added that the decision "can cause undue panic, and is tantamount to discrimination."

Arayat Mayor Emmanuel Alejandrino said the travel restriction was part of measures against the spread of the new coronavirus variant, which was detected in a Filipino who had arrived from the United Arab Emirates last week.

It was earlier announced by the Department of Health (DOH) that the patient is a resident of Quezon City.

Belmonte, however, stressed that the patient did not return to his residence in Barangay Kamuning upon his arrival.

"The said patient stayed in a quarantine hotel as part of the 14-day mandatory quarantine period. He was tested on January 7 upon arrival. The day after, it was confirmed he was COVID-19 positive. His sample was sent to the Philippine Genome Center," Belmonte said.

"On the night of January 13, the city government and the city health department were informed by the DOH that he has the so-called United Kingdom variant. Since January 8, he has been staying at a facility where he remains up to this day for treatment," she added.

The mayor is appealing to the Arayat local government to reconsider its directive and allow QC residents to enter the town.

Belmonte said a total of 143 individuals who are considered contacts of the patient have been identified, quarantined and are closely being monitored.

The contacts include 30 healthcare workers and barangay workers who assisted and cared for the patient when he was transferred from the quarantine hotel in Manila to the isolation facility in Quezon City after he was found to be infected with the virus.

"All but one of the traveler’s eight close contacts are now in quarantine while awaiting their test results while there are intensified efforts to contact the last one," she said. — Anna Felicia Bajo/BM, GMA News