By HENRY EMPEÑO | Iba, Zambales

Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. announced on Monday, March 22, that he has tested positive of the corona virus disease (Covid-19) and is now in isolation to prevent further transmission of the virus.

Ebdane said he tested positive last Sunday in a post on “Zambales for the People”, which is the official Facebook page of the Zambales provincial government.

“It is rather unfortunate that I have been found infected by the Covid-19, after undergoing rapid antigen test, where I was reactive and further confirmed by the RT-PCR results yesterday afternoon, March 21, 2021,” Ebdane said.

“I have been strictly adhering to health protocols, however, due to the nature of our work, unnecessary exposure to the virus is inevitable,” he added.

“I am now confined (in isolation) to prevent further contacts,” Ebdane also said.

To help identify those whom he might have close contact with, the governor listed down his movements in the past few days. He said he attended an assembly of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) at the Edsa Plaza Hotel on March 12 with 12 other governors, including LPP president Presby Velasco of Marinduque.

Ebdane said he and the 12 governors were in the assembly face-to-face, while other members joined via Zoom.

On March 17, Ebdane said he was with Zambales Provincial Planning and Development Office head Edwin Ebdane and some staff for the 6th full council meeting of the Central Luzon Regional Development Council via video conferencing.

Ebdane said he also conducted on-site inspection of bridges under construction at barangays Felminda Diaz and Cadmang Reserva in Cabangan, Zambales on March 18.

The following day, March 19, the governor presided over an emergency meeting with the provincial government’s Technical Working Group on issues and concerns of Dep-Ed Zambales, Holy Week activities protocol, and reopening of the provincial tourism industry.

“It is suggested that all those who were present and participated in those events undergo Covid -19 testing, including those who think got exposed during the period of March 12-19, 2021,” Ebdae also said in his announcement.

As of Sunday, the Zambales province has recorded a total of 1,079 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 11 new cases. Current figures placed active cases at 108.

Zambales has also posted a total of 946 recovered cases and 24 deaths attributed to Covid-19.

On Sunday, the Provincial Health Office also announced that the President Ramon Magsaysay Hospital in this capital town has reached critical admission level due to the number of Covid-19 cases therein.

Because of this, Provincial Health Officer Noel Bueno said they have to limit the number of non-Covid cases admitted into the provincial hospital and endorse such cases to district hospitals in Candelaria and San Marcelino towns.

Prior to this, Ebdane had ordered the Zambales Inter-Agency Task Force to strictly enforce health protocols in the province to control the growing number of Covid-19 cases in the province, especially during the Holy Week. ~