Mayor: Don’t bash COVID-19 patients who reveal identity

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjie Magalong has appealed to the public here to exercise restraint and prudence in dealing with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who responded to his call to reveal their identities in the hope of saving lives.

He said “bashing, criticizing and blaming are not what they need right now. Ostracizing them will not do any good to anyone at this point as this will only add to their burden and at the same time thwart our efforts to encourage other patients to publicly come out and help in contact tracing”.

“They may have made wrong choices that led to their circumstances now, but all these are water under the bridge. After all, they did not wish to be in the situation they are in now,” Magalong said.

“What they need now is understanding, compassion and help in any way to get through their present ordeal,” he added.

Magalong noted how it wasn’t “easy to come out set aside your privacy and expose yourself to public humiliation, but they did so with courage and for that they earned my respect and admiration”.

“They do not wish to be edified. They just need to be respected and accepted as partners in this fight against the COVID-19 menace. We need all the help that we can get because in this struggle, every second counts,” Magalong said.

Magalong assured residents that disinfection measures are being undertaken in concerned barangays to prevent further contamination.