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BAGUIO CITY (PHILIPPINES DAILY INVESTIGATOR / ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Coronavirus disease has broken through the defenses of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) despite a harsh lockdown since February to protect its cadets.
Three infections were first recorded within the Fort del Pilar military campus after nearly 400 tests were conducted there from December 16-18, 2020.
By Saturday (January 2), the number of people who tested positive for the virus rose to 37.
The results did not indicate whether the new patients were cadets, soldiers, teachers, or family members of PMA enlisted personnel who stayed inside the wooded campus during the holidays.
Those who tested positive were listed only as residents of Fort del Pilar, the city’s health services office said.
Some of the patients are between 19 and 22 years old. The PMA has yet to officially comment on the lab’s results. He has scheduled a press conference for this week.
For most of the past year, the academy had suspended activities and duties that required cadets to leave campus. The cadets’ training and classroom routines continued while social distancing protocols were maintained and face masks were worn.
Some classroom activities were conducted online by stay-at-home instructors.
Due to the rules against mass gatherings, annual events such as the PMA graduation in May were organized without the parents and relatives of cadets for the first time in recent memory.
However, some traditions carried on, such as the end-of-the-year parody show “Noche de la Inmaculada”, formerly called “Show of 100 Nights”, which took place before graduation in May.
No cadets performed the ceremonial duties during last week’s Rizal Day program, at which PMA Superintendent Major General Ferdinand Cartojano was the guest speaker.
The latest infections in the PMA brought the total number of Covid-19 cases in the city of Baguio, in Benguet province on the main island of Luzon, to 3,941, of which 301 are still active.
Covid-19 related deaths in the city have risen to 69, many of which involve the elderly and vulnerable due to pre-existing health conditions.
The city government has expanded its critical care centers to respond to possible sudden increases in vacation weeks, as well as tourist and commercial activities to rehabilitate the economy.
The Philippines reported 959 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Monday (Jan 4) to bring the total to 478,761, the second most affected country in Southeast Asia after Indonesia.
The death toll in the Philippines rose to 9,263 after six more patients died, the Xinhua news agency reported.
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