Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte tested positive on Monday for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) for the second time.

In a post on the Facebook page of the Quezon City local government, Belmonte confirmed she was infected for Covid-19 the second time after eight months from recovering from her first bout with the virus.

Belmonte said she was experiencing mild symptoms and will continue working in isolation.

“Eight months after my first bout with Covid-19, I am very sad to report that I have once again tested positive for the virus.  As many doctors have continued to remind us, Covid-19 is an ongoing and evolving pandemic, and we should not let our guard down under any circumstances,” the Quezon City mayor said.

“Indeed, even after recovering from the virus last year and carefully observing all the recommended precautions, my positive result is a sober reminder that there is no room for complacency when it comes to this disease,” Belmonte added.

The Quezon City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (CESU) is now conducting contact tracing of Belmonte’s close contacts who could also be infected with Covid-19.

“Needless to say, I will abide by all the recommended protocols and actions prescribed by the DOH (Department of Health), IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases), and our own [CESU]. Our CESU is likewise hard at work doing full contact-tracing procedures on individuals that I may have had close contact with,” Belmonte said. SOVEREIGNPH