Itbayat mayor confirms priest under monitoring due to travel history
By Jhon Ablat
BATANES – Itbayat Mayor Raul de Sagon confirmed that a priest assigned at an island municipality was being monitored and is undergoing self-quarantine in an undisclosed area in Basco.
De Sagon told The Manila Bulletin that the priest had just arrived from his travels to countries, which were hit by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
He said authorities are now tracing the priest’s travel history through his social media account.
“Priest po ng Itbayat. Galing sa mga COVID positive countries based sa mga postings niya sa Facebook,” the chief executive said.
In addition, it was found that the priest traveled to Italy, France and Israel where there are also reports of coronavirus infection.
De Sagon added that the priest was supposed to return to his post in Itbayat but was prevented from proceeding by local authorities until after he completes his quarantine and other COVID-19 protocols.
De Sagon urged the public not to panic despite of this developing event and asked everyone to understand the authority’s actions and procedures in handling the prevention of the said disease.
“We are a small community, we involve everybody when deciding things like this,” the mayor added.