Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 21) — Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera confirmed that he has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Garcera made the announcement in a circular dated March 20, which was confirmed on Sunday by the Archdiocese of Lipa.
“At present, we are in a health-managed condition,” he said. “While necessary medical treatment continues, I must admit that the battle against COVID-19 is far from over.”
The archbishop also said other priests have tested positive for the illness but did not provide further details.
Garcera is the tenth Filipino prelate to contract the viral disease, according to the official media outlet of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
The confirmation came on the same day Caritas Manila executive director Anton Pascual was announced to have also caught the virus, along with other staff members of the Catholic church-run non-profit organization. As COVID-19 cases in the country continue to climb, with over 7,000 new infections a day logged in the past three days, a number of churches have declared lockdowns and temporarily limited their Holy Week services online.
READ: More churches in Metro Manila suspend Holy Week activities as COVID-19 cases spike
