Governor Garcia denies testing positive for COVID-19

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia denies rumors that she and her chief of staff tested positive for COVID-19 | CDN Digital file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has denied rumors that she and her chief of staff, lawyer Frank Eduard Dinsay V, have tested positive for COVID-19.

Garcia, in a live virtual presser on Thursday, July 9, 2020, said she learned about the speculations that she and Dinsay had tested positive for COVID-19 after her daily presser aired on the Capitol’s Facebook pages halted for over a week now.

Read more: Capitol closed for disinfection from July 1 to 3

Garcia said there was no truth to the rumor and explained that the halt of her presser was because of the closure of the Capitol last July 1 to 3 due to disinfection measures and the tight schedules as the province geared for its transition to a modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

Read more: Quarantine protocols continue under MGCQ — Mariano

During Thursdays presser, Garcia also discussed her Executive Order No. 20 which laid down the province’s MGCQ protocols that would take effect at midnight on Friday, July 10.

“Kadtong mga balhiboon og dila nga nagpataka og yawyaw, sorry ha, you wish, wala intawon mi ma-COVID. Sorry, wala namo ma-fulfill ang inyong damgo ug inyong tinguha,” Garcia said.

(Those rumormongerers who don’t know what they are talking about. I’m sorry. You wish. I don’t have COVID. I’m sorry, that your dreams and bad intentions did not come true.)

The governor, however, admitted that Dinsay was confined to a private hospital in Mandaue City last week because of dengue fever.

He was swab tested for COVID-19 twice and both turned out negative, she said.

The lawyer has been discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, July 8./dbs