Quarantine Breach Of COVID-Positive ‘Party Girl’ Under Probe; Violators Of Health Protocols Face Criminal Charges – DOT

Multiple government agencies are looking into reports that a returning overseas Filipino (ROF) from the United States who tested positive for COVID allegedly escaped quarantine protocols to attend a party in Poblacion, Makati City and infected other people.

“We are still investigating the case and coordinating with concerned offices to further determine the veracity of the report,” the Department of Health (DOH) said in a statement on Thursday, Dec. 30.

The woman, identified as Gwyneth Ann Chua by the Department of Tourism (DOT), reportedly breached protocols by leaving Berjaya Makati Hotel before finishing the prescribed quarantine and partying with friends in Makati.

DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told “Sa Totoo Lang” on One PH on Thursday night that Chua admitted skipping quarantine.

Based on DOT-National Capital Region’s letter to Berjaya dated Dec. 29, Chua checked into the hotel on Dec. 22, attended the party on Dec. 23 and tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 27.

In response, Berjaya told the DOT also on De. 29 that Chua had been pulled out and was transferred to another hotel for isolation.

Puyat said the hotel lied when it reported that Chua stayed in their establishment since she checked in.

However, Puyat pointed out that the girl’s companions had executed sworn affidavits and even TikTok videos that she was with them the day after she arrived and that they also contracted COVID-19.

Puyat disclosed that the girl was boasting about having “connections” and thus could cut quarantine.

“The girl was in fact…nagyayabanng siya kasi they were wondering na kasi kakadating lang niya bakit kasama nila, and then she told her friends na she had connections daw kaya she

could cut quarantine. So ‘yung malas on her fifth day, bumalik sa hotel, nagpa-swab, nag-positive. Tapos ‘yung mga ibang nakasama niya, nag-positive rin. In fact ‘yung mga establishments, nag-positive rin sila roon. Ang daming nag-positive because of the girl,” Puyat said.

Puyat said the hotel was given three days to respond to the notice to explain sent by the DOT as she warned that criminal charges may be filed against violators of health and safety protocols, including the hotel and the ROF.

“We all have worked so hard to keep our cases down by following and enforcing health and safety protocols across all sectors. We are doing this not only for our protection and well-being, but also so that our economy can start bouncing back from this pandemic,” Puyat said in an Instagram post.

“We will not tolerate such reckless acts that jeopardize the well-being of public. Please always follow the guidelines health experts have set and do not compromise when enforcing them in your respective establishments,” she added.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police to “determine the liability and accountability of the hotel management and the ROF for possible filing of charges if there are violations of the law.”

Makati City, which is also validating the reports of netizens about the ROF, has yet to disclose more details about its probe.

The DOH warned that “violators will be dealt with in accordance with the law” as it advised those who arrived from abroad to exercise caution in joining gatherings.

It noted that the appropriate contact tracing is underway and the investigation report will be released upon completion.

“Now is not the time to relax and deliberately put others in danger,” the DOH stressed as it pointed out that the country has been working hard to keep COVID cases low.

Currently, vaccinated travelers from green and yellow list countries need to present a negative pre-departure reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken 72 hours prior to their departure from the country of origin. Upon arrival in the Philippines, they need to undergo quarantine with an RT-PCR test on the third day and may be discharged if the results are negative. The US is under the yellow list.

The unvaccinated, partially unvaccinated and those whose vaccination status cannot be independently validated would need to undergo quarantine with a swab test on the seventh day and may be discharged upon the release of a negative result. These people are required to undergo home quarantine until the 14th day from their arrival.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri expressed alarm over the reported violations, noting that the government has already seen an increase of COVID-19 infections for the past days despite the continuous reminder of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) to strictly observe health protocols amid the threat of the virus.

“It has come to our attention that there may have been certain individuals who have skipped quarantine protocols coming in from abroad, using connections and their money to avoid the required isolation period that the IATF has put in place to protect our people from COVID. This is worrying because they can be positive, and cause community transmission,” Zubiri said in a Viber message to Senate reporters. – With Emmanuel Tupas, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Ralph Edwin Villanueva, Neil Jayson Servallos