THIRTEEN soldiers of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army based in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), a health official said.
Dr. Liland Estacion, assistant provincial health officer, said the soldiers arrived in the province late last month after they were deployed in Cebu City.
The said soldiers were among the 16 latest coronavirus cases in the province, Estacion said on Thursday.
There are now 20 soldiers in Negros Oriental who were infected with the virus.
They have been placed under isolation inside their brigade’s headquarters at Camp Leon Kilat in Barangay Santa Cruz Viejo, Tanjay City.
Colonel Noel Baluyan of the Philippine Army’s 302nd Brigade Command said all the infected soldiers in the province were deployed in Cebu City since March to implement the community quarantine measures there.
The 13 soldiers who tested positive, aged between 23 and 33, are part of a group of 41 soldiers who served as augmentation team, Baluyan said.