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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 29) The province of Batanes said Tuesday that it registered its first case of COVID-19, almost eight months since the coronavirus was first detected in the country.
The local Batanes government, in a Facebook post, said the first case was confirmed after a locally stranded individual (LSI), who later tested positive for COVID-19, arrived in the province on September 22.
He said the patient is asymptomatic and is in strict isolation in a temporary facility. All close contacts and other LSIs who traveled with the patient are also being monitored.
The northern province remained free of coronavirus for almost eight months despite the continuously increasing number of infections in the country. Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco said its remote location helped contain the virus’s entry.
The lockdown and other health measures were also implemented early, as the provincial government has been monitoring the coronavirus situation in China, where the disease outbreak began, as early as December.
The Department of Health registered the first case of COVID-19 in the country on January 30. The Philippines now has 307,288 confirmed cases. More than 252,000 have recovered, while 5,381 have died.
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