Presidential Security Group (PSG) commander Col. Jesus Durante III on Wednesday reassured the public that no person who have contracted or suspected to be a carrier of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) will go near President Rodrigo Duterte.
“This is to guarantee that no one with the virus, not even the slightest probability, can be allowed to go on duty and can get close with the President to ensure his utmost safety,” Durante said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Durante said Duterte had no exposure to one of his security aides who tested positive for Covid-19 but already recovered.
Around 160 PSG personnel tested positive after undergoing rapid antibody tests since March. All of them went under 14-day mandatory quarantine and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests.
RT-PCR tests are more accurate in detecting Covid-19 than the rapid tests.
Durante reiterated that only one of the 160 PSG troops whose rapid tests turned out positive was confirmed to have acquired Covid-19. “This lone personnel has long recovered from the virus,” he said.
Durante has repeatedly ensured that PSG is doing its best to protect the president and the presidential family against the coronavirus disease.
Malacañan Palace, the official residence of Duterte in Manila, is regularly being disinfected as part of the efforts to keep the President Covid-19 free.
