Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto announced on Monday he will be in isolation after his personal driver died of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on Saturday.

Sotto posted on Twitter that he will be in quarantine until March 24, even if his results come out negative. His driver, whom he called Kuya Vener, last drove for him on March 10.

“Nawalan tayo ng isang matalik na kaibigan dahil sa Covid-19. Siya ‘yung driver ko kaya talagang close contact ako bagama’t sumusunod kami sa health protocols, (We lost a good friend because of Covid-19. He is my driver that I had close contact with, but we are adhering to the health protocols),” he said in a Facebook livestream.

Sotto said he will strictly follow the isolation and quarantine protocols set by the Department of Health (DOH). He assured his constituents that he will work remotely or online, until the end of the month

“Following DOH protocol, I will be in quarantine until March 24 (2 weeks from when he last drove for me). I will continue working via Zoom and phone,” he posted, adding he is not experiencing any symptoms yet.

Sotto, along with his staff, have already been tested and they expect to receive the swab test results on Monday afternoon.

“Pero kahit mag-negative ay tatapusin ko ang quarantine alinsunod sa DOH guidelines. Posible kasing nag-i-incubate pa lang ang virus kaya (Even if it will turn out negative, I will be completing the quarantine in accordance with DOH guidelines. It is possible that the virus is still incubating that’s why it is) negative,” he said.

He warned anew his constituents not to be complacent and to continue observing the minimum health standards amid the ongoing surge of Covid-19 cases.

Sotto encouraged those who don’t have essential travels to stay at home. He cited the significance of the public’s discipline and cooperation with the government’s efforts to contain the spread of the infection.

“Kahit anong gawin ng gobyerno, nasyunal man o lokal, magkukulang po talaga kung hindi nagkukusa na sumunod at maging disiplinado (No matter what the government will do, national or local, it will not be enough unless people will volunteer to follow the health protocols and exercise some discipline),” said Sotto.

Of Pasig’s 12,152 total confirmed Covid-19 cases, 513 remained active cases, 11,190 have recovered and 449 have died as of March 13.

He also urged the public to trust the experts on vaccine acquisition.

“Let’s trust the experts, let’s trust the doctors, let’s trust the regulatory bodies,” he said. (PNA)