BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – COVID positive Patient 7 did not violate any quarantine protocols but city officials have requested him to refrain from going out on his house’s balcony to avoid alarming his neighbors.
Vice-Mayor El Cid Familiaran told DNX that he has received the petition of Victoria Street residents in Eroreco Subdivision in Mandalagan village calling on barangay and city officials to isolate the patient from the community and transfer him to a “well-equipped” health facility.
The petition was addressed to Mandalagan village chief Arturo Parreno and copy furnished Familiaran and physician Grace Tan of the City Health Office.
Familiaran heads the city’s COVID19 inter-agency task force while Tan is its spokesperson.
Familiaran explained that the photo furnished DNX by Eroreco residents showed a man, reported by the residents to be Patient 7, out on the second-floor balcony of one unit of a four-door apartment.
The man was not wearing a mask.
Two issues have to be considered, Familiaran said, one is if the person violated provisions of the home quarantine, the other is if he violated an executive order to wear a mask in public places. (READ: Quarantine violation drew concern from neighbors; patient agrees to comply after talk with CHO)
The residents said in the petition that the man “grossly violated” a strict room quarantine rule by going out on his balcony.
Luis Roberto Gonzales, treasurer of the homeowners association, told DNX that many elderly persons, including his mother, are on the same street where Patient 7 lives.
He pointed out that the wind blows hard over the neighborhood and there are concerns that this could lead to the spread of the disease.
Familiaran clarified that the man did not violate the home protocol rules as he was still inside his property and did not step outside his residence.
The balcony is still part of his home, he added.
There is also no violation of the executive order on the wearing of face masks as the patient was “not in a public place” but inside a private property.
Tan also clarified on the status of Patient 7 in this video interview with DNX below.
