Rizal Memorial, PhilSports on lockdown after employees test positive for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Sports Commission has put the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and PhilSports Complex in Pasig City under total lockdown after five of its employees tested positive for COVID-19.

“May we humbly advice all concerned that both complexes shall be on complete lockdown from August 12 until further notice,” said PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez in a letter signed Tuesday but was posted on their official Facebook page Wednesday.

“This is part of the agency’s health security protocol, after a staff tested COVID-19 positive in the recent round of RT-PCR testing,” he added.

From one the day before, the number had reached five at press time.

Ramirez did not name the employees involved but multiple sources revealed all of them were asymptomatic and sent home and will be quarantined.

Acting executive director Guillermo Iroy said the lockdown meant all their employees will have to work from home temporarily while they are doing contact tracing.

“Only frontliners and security are allowed to enter. Even our skeletal employees assigned will have to work from home since we’re still doing tracing,” said Iroy.

It also meant those staying in the dorms will not be allowed to go out.

And Ramirez happened to be one of them as he is staying there along with wife Mercy, daughter Farrah, son-in-law Michael and grandson Liam.

Also quarantined in the Pasig dorms were commissioners Ramon Fernandez with wife Karla and Charles Raymond Maxey.

The agency had been doing regular tests for the skeletal staff assigned during the pandemic but it is only now that some came out positive.