For bringing man with UK variant to apartment in city
THE Quezon City government is set to file charges against a manning agency for bringing the 35-year old man who had tested positive for the B1.1.7 (UK variant ) to an apartment in Riverside, Commonwealth instead of a quarantine facility.
Mayor Joy Belmonte stressed that the manning agency, Baltic Asia Crewing Incorporated has violated Republic Act No. 11332 or the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.”
Under Section 9-d of the said law states that “non-cooperation of persons and entities that should report and/or respond to notifiable diseases or health events of public concern.”
Belmonte assured that appropriate charges will be filed against the agency. She added that she will be asking the assistance of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno for any other liabilities that can be imposed against the agency.
Reports disclosed that the man, an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW), initially stayed in a hotel in Manila while waiting to deployed abroad.
On Jan. 17, he was swab tested and the following day, his test yielded positive result but still stayed in the hotel until Jan. 21.
On Jan. 21, his agency booked him in a ride-hailing app in order to bring him to an apartment in Riverside, Commonwealth in QC.
It was on Feb. 5 that the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that the man was positive for the UK variant based on the results of the Philippine Genome Center.
Upon learning that the man was in the city, Belmonte ordered his immediate transfer to the Hope Facility, a quarantine facility.
Belmonte also immediately ordered contact tracing on those individuals who were possibly exposed or have contact with the OFW.
