Pangasinan monitors 250 after reunion with COVID-19 positive Fil-Aussie

Around 250 individuals in Pangasinan are under monitoring after attending a high school reunion with a Filipino-Australian who later tested positive for COVID-19.

The Department of Health (DOH) Region 1 reported that Pangasinan remains COVID-19 free and that almost 50 percent of those who had contact with the Fil-Aussie have presented themselves for check-ups and monitoring.

Contact tracing is ongoing to identify all attendees of the reunion in Dagupan City and monitor for any symptoms.

The Fil-Aussie and her husband traveled to Pangasinan on February 22-23 and stayed in Lingayen before returning to Manila and eventually Australia on March 2.

Health officials stated that if individuals who had close contact with the Fil-Aussie show no symptoms by March 8, the 14-day incubation period would have lapsed, and the province would be considered safe.

Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino III urged the public to remain calm and follow health protocols, while Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil tested negative for COVID-19.