The news comes a day after Rama attended the opening of the 453rd Founding Anniversary celebration of the Province of Cebu at the Provincial Capitol in Cebu City Monday, August 1, during which he was photographed unmasked and standing beside Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Vice Gov. Hilario Davide III and near other mayors like Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, as well as officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
During a press conference held over Zoom Tuesday, the City’s public information office announced that Rama was supposed to be in Malacañang Palace for a meeting, but the mayor tested positive after a couple of RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests on July 31 and August 1.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, the city’s consultant for health and hospital operation, said the mayor is doing well and there is nothing to worry about his condition.
Loreche said Rama is in quarantine in his residence as part of the basic protocol for a fully vaccinated individual with a booster shot.
Rama’s being fully vaccinated including with a booster shot has “definitely contributed to his being asymptomatic positive,” said Loreche.
The mayor assured the public that there will be no disruption in the daily operations of City Hall since all the organizational structures were already in place.
As for his appointment in Malacañang for a meeting with the League of Cities of the Philippines, Rama said he would just attend via video conference and other important matters were already delegated to other officers of the league. Rama was elected president of the league last July 21.
Close contacts
Before learning he was positive for the virus, Rama said, he attended several meetings on Monday.
The mayor attended an affair with youth organizations at the Cebu City Hall and had a quick discussion with the city’s anti-mendicancy council, he said.
Rama said he had informed the governor about his situation.
Garcia and Davide could not be reached for comment Tuesday, as they were still in Argao town for the final leg of the Caravan of Provincial Government Services for the second district this quarter.
Rama said he was shocked and disturbed by the test results because in the many instances that he had gotten screened for the virus, this was the only time that it yielded a positive result.
With this, Rama encouraged his constituents to get vaccinated and have their booster shots as soon as possible.
In Lapu-Lapu City, public information officer Marky Bautista gave the condition of Lapu-Lapu Mayor Junard Chan.
“So far, he is okay and doing well,” Bautista said late Tuesday. “He still entertains his visitors at his office. So far, he is not experiencing any symptoms as of this time. He even said, he is fine.”
“He wishes Mayor Mike a speedy recovery,” Bautista added.
Chan contracted Covid-19 in June 2020.
As for Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes, he has twice contracted Covid-19, the first time in April 2021 and the second time in January 2022.
Cortes had not responded to SunStar’s request for comment as of press time.