On Sunday, January 2, due to the surge of COVID-19 cases at the start of 2022–the award-winning actor John Arcilla reminded the public to [still] follow health protocols.
Arcilla, 55, alerted Filipinos to take the necessary steps to help the government mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and its Omicron variant.
Although he noted the importance of mental health amid the pandemic, it is not a valid reason to endanger anyone through partying or going out to ‘relax.’
In all uppercase, he wrote, “Omicron Alert. Wala naman bumabawal sa ‘tin na magsaya. Pero may mga kasayahan na p’wedeng ikamatay ng iyong pamilya o kapitbahay. Importante ang mental health pero anong saysay nito kung mamamatay ka sa virus? Angal sa lockdown pero antigas ng ulo natin.”
OMICRON ALERT. WALA NAMAN BUMABAWAL SATIN NA MAGSAYA. Pero may mga KASAYAHAN na pwedeng ikamatay ng iyong pamilya o kapitbahay. Importante ang MENTAL HEALTH pero anong saysay nito kung MAMAMATAY KA SA VIRUS? ANGAL sa Lockdown PERO ANTIGAS NG ULO NATIN. pic.twitter.com/7bFeqGFluZ
— John Arcilla official (@JohnArcilla) January 2, 2022
His reminder came after a person skipped quarantine to party, which later resulted in having infected a large number of people.
Gwyneth Anne Chua just returned from the United States on December 22 and was quarantined at the Berjaya Hotel. The next day, she was seen partying at a bar in Poblacion, Makati.
Four days later, Chua tested positive and so does some of the people she came in contact with. Furthermore, the staff of the hotel where she was supposed to be isolated were infected as well.
The violator had enough “connections” to keep herself quarantined for 14 days. Currently, Chua is being detained at a different hotel with guards monitoring her room.
“I made sure, may nakabantay talaga diyan,” Tourism Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
Aside from her, another quarantine violator was apprehended after having a massage despite being in isolation.
“Actually, meron pang isang kaso, binigay yung pangalan, nag-skip ng quarantine, in fact nag-post pa sa social media na nagpapa-masahe siya. Nahuli na rin,” said Bernadette Romulo-Puyat in a separate interview.
Those who have violated R.A. 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Concern Act of 2018 will be penalized with a fine of P20,000 to P50,000 or imprisonment of one to six months, or both.
The Philippines as of today has logged 4,084 new COVID-19 cases driving the overall case count to 2,855,819.
