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PH officials undergo self-quarantine due to COVID-19 threat

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ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATE)—At least two senators said they would undergo self-quarantine due to exposure to a person who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said Wednesday he would undergo self-quarantine after learning that a resource person at a recent committee hearing he chaired had tested positive for COVID-19.The lawmaker said a resource person who appeared at a committee hearing he chaired on Thursday last week is among confirmed patients of the coronavirus. He remains asymptomatic and feels &quot;healthy,&quot; he said.&quot;I have recently been informed that a resource person who attended the hearing of the Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture last March 5, 2020, which I Chair, has tested positive for COVID-19,&quot; he said.&quot;Though I am asymptomatic and feel healthy, I will follow government set protocols on such cases and go into self-quarantine immediately given that I interacted with the said individual during that committee hearing,&quot; Gatchalian said in a statement.He said he has told his staff, &quot;especially those who had direct contact with the said person,&quot; to also undergo self-quarantine.A few hours after Gatchalian&#x27;s announcement, Sen. Nancy Binay also said she would undergo self-quarantine because she was in the same hearing as Gatchalian.&quot;Following the decision of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian to go into self-quarantine, I have likewise decided to take similar precautions and self-monitor for the next 14 days,&quot; she said.&quot;Sen. Gatchalian and I were present during the March 5, 2020 hearing, and it is with a heavy heart to learn that one of our resource speakers has been tested positive for COVID-19.&quot;Binay said she has also instructed her staff to go on self-quarantine and take precautionary steps to limit face-to-face interactions.Transportation Sec. Arthur Tugade and other agency officials will also undergo a 14-day self-quarantine after they were exposed to a person who recently tested positive for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).Department of Transportation spokesperson Goddess Libiran, in a statement, said aside from Tugade she and other DOTr personnel will also undergo self-quarantine.The agency did not name the person positive for COVID-19 they interacted with.Aside from Tugade, Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez likewise said he will undergo a 14-day self-quarantine after interacting with a person who tested positive for COVID-19.In a text message to reporters, Dominguez said he is undergoing the self-quarantine even if he is not experiencing any symptoms of the coronavirus.Meanwhile, Manila City Mayor Francisco &quot;Isko Moreno&quot; Domagoso, through a Facebook live video, said he will go on self-quarantine following his trip to the United Kingdom.&quot;I&#x27;m going to submit myself to self-quarantine, para lang mapanatag kayo. I&#x27;m going to stay in city hall, be contained in the area and I will (undergo) some tests also,&quot; Domagoso said during a meeting with members of the Manila health sector.Gatchalian and Binay are the highest Philippine officials to declare self-quarantine amid the continuing rise in cases of the acute respiratory disease, which has afflicted a total of 49 people in the country as of Wednesday.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/11/20/philippines-confirms-16-new-covid-19-cases-total-now-at-49">Philippines confirms 16 new COVID-19 cases; total now at 49</a></li></ul>Under the protocol of the health department, undergoing self-quarantine means isolating oneself for 14 days.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/03/10/20/how-to-self-quarantine-at-home-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19">How to self-quarantine at home if you think you have COVID-19</a></li></ul>

(UPDATE) At least two senators said they would undergo self-quarantine due to exposure to a person who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

(UPDATE) At least two senators said they would undergo self-quarantine due to exposure to a person who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).