MANILA, Philippines — Malabon City Mayor Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta has tested positive for the coronavirus, the local chief executive announced Tuesday afternoon.
In a Facebook post, Oreta said that he was asymptomatic and would be undergoing home quarantine in the coming days.
Contact tracing was also underway to track those he interacted with, he added.
"This only shows that the effect of COVID-19 in Malabon is still strong. Extreme caution is needed especially following health protocols," he said in mixed Filipino and English.
"On behalf of the city, we would continue to ensure that we bring down the COVID-19 cases here in our city."
According to the city's public information office, 8,451 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the city thus far.
Of which, 919 are still classified as active, while 291 have succumbed to the pathogen.
Health officials recorded 5,867 additional COVID-19 infections earlier Tuesday afternoon after days of recording over 7,000 cases each day.
The national caseload now stands at 671,792, while active cases in the Philippines are now at an all-time high of 86,200 or 12.7% of the total
This, while the Philippines has now been on lockdown for 371 days—the longest quarantine in the world.
— Franco Luna