Authorities have asked management of a hotel in Makati to explain why one of their quarantine guests was allowed to party in the hip Poblacion district, a protocol breach that sent many on social media worrying given a spike in local cases.
The Department of Tourism has identified the guest as Gwyneth Anne Chua, who stayed at the Berjaya Hotel in its show-cause order to management dated Dec. 29, asking it to explain the incident. ABS-CBN News posted a copy of the order on Facebook.
Berjaya responded to the DOT on the same day, saying Chua had been transfered to a different facility.
Here's what we know so far:
- Dec. 22, Wednesday -- Chua checks into Berjaya Hotel
- Dec. 23, Thursday -- Chua, according to the DOT, was seet at a bar in Poblacion
- Dec. 27, Monday -- Chua tests positive for COVID-19
- Dec. 29, Wednesday -- Chua is "extracted" from the hotel, management said.
ALSO READ: Party Girl COVID Patient Allegedly Violates Quarantine, Hotel Under Probe
On Thursday, the Philippines logged 1,623 COVID cases, the highest since late November. Daily infections in the official DOH tally have doubled daily in the last three days. So far, the country has confirmed at least four cases of the Omicron variant that is fueling a global surge.
Also on Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte kept the entire country under the second lowest COVID-19 alert, which allows bars and restaurants to operate for 24 hours.
On Thursday, "Poblacion" was trending on Twitter with 57,000 posts while "Gwyneth Chua" got nearly 10,000 posts. Puyat did not name the quarantine violator nor the location of the hotel.
The Department of Health issued a blanket statement reminding Filipinos and other travelers from abroad to follow quarantine protocols especially in light of the Omicron variant.
"Hindi ngayon ang panahon para mag-relax at ilagay ang ibang tao sa panganib," the DOH said.
MORE ON OMICRON:
DOH Monitors 'Uptick' in COVID Cases During Christmas Week
Omicron, Delta Join Forces for COVID Tsunami with 6 Million Cases in a Week
Omicron Pushes Daily COVID Cases in U.S. to New Record
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