MANILA — Tawi-Tawi, the southernmost province of the Philippines, confirmed Monday its first case of the novel coronavirus, which prompted local officials to ban the entry of returning residents and migrant workers.
The province's first coronavirus patient is a 44-year-old male Philippine National Police personnel, who was previously stranded by the pandemic lockdown. He traveled from San Isidro, Quezon City to Zamboanga City to Basilan and back to Zamboanga City then to Tawi-Tawi, the local government said.
Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID
The patient, who is asymptomatic and currently isolated, arrived in the Bongao Port last Tuesday.
The provincial government temporarily banned the entry of locally stranded individuals, and repatriated migrant workers who will come from Zamboanga City and nearby provinces.
Local authorities are tracing those who had close contact with the patient.
The Philippines on Sunday reported the highest single-day jump in COVID-19 cases, which brought the country’s total to 44,254.
— With a report from Chrisel Almonia, ABS-CBN News
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