Marcos tests positive for COVID-19

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has tested positive for COVID-19, Malacañang said on Friday.

Marcos tested positive for the viral disease following an antigen test, said Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles at a press briefing.

Cruz-Angeles said the President "has a slight fever, but he is otherwise okay."

Marcos' son, Ilocos Norte Representative Sandro Marcos, tested negative for COVID-19, while First Lady Louise "Liza" Araneta-Marcos and sons Simon and Vincent were out of town and were not exposed to the President.

Those who have close contact with Marcos have been advised by the Presidential Management Staff to monitor their symptoms.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, who was also at the briefing, said Marcos would be isolated for seven days and it would be up to his physician if he would undergo a confirmatory RT-PCR test.

"After that, if his symptoms have been resolved already, he may be able to get back to work and have his face-to-face activities," Vergeire said.

Marcos has previously tested positive for COVID-19. 

He caught the illness in March 2020 after traveling from Europe. At the time, his camp said that Marcos visited a hospital because he was having breathing problems.

During his inaugural speech on June 30, Marcos briefly discussed his COVID-19 experience.

"I was among the first to get COVID; it was not a walk in the park," the President said. 

Marcos' activities

Cruz-Angeles said Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez attended a security meeting on Friday morning on behalf of Marcos.

Due to his infection, Marcos will not be attending the 246th anniversary of the US Independence at the US Embassy in Manila, she added.

However, Marcos will virtually attend and give a message at the League of Governors and Mayors' meeting of officials on Friday evening.

Cruz-Angeles said the meeting would be about the government's COVID-19 vaccination campaign. 

"This is part of the continuing campaign for series of vaccinations and booster shots in preparation for the face-to-face opening of classes this school year," she said.

"The meeting was originally planned to have a dinner, but that meal has been removed to prevent officials from removing their masks." —KBK/VBL, GMA News