A report is saying that five (5) workers at the Minore Basilica de Sto. Nińo in Cebu City are confirmed to be infected with the Covid virus.

As this developed, the church will remain closed to the public following the announcement from the church administration on Monday, June 8, 2020, that five of its employees tested positive for being infected with the SARS CoV 2 virus causing the coronavirus disease (Covid), a report from thr Cebu-based “Cebu Daily News” said.

“We just received (information) from our health department of the official swab test results performed last May 29 at the Basilica convent and last June 1 at the health center of Barangay Tinago, Cebu City respectively. Data show that out of 41 swabs (extracted), five are positive,” the advisory read.

The same statement said, “The five persons, who are positive, remain asymptomatic and are now on their 13th day of quarantine period.”

As the containment protocols are observed and none of the Augustinian priests are infected with the virus, the church administration said the church will be closed from the public for an indefinite period of time.

Furthermore, the church officials said: “We inform the public that we are not yet opening the Basilica for public worship and veneration to sanitize the whole Basilica compound, and to strengthen its safety procedures and protocols,” the statement reads.

Back on May 25, 2020, the church administration said the church’s doors will be closed after some employees showed signs of being infected of Covid.

This development comes as Cebu City was preparing to reopen businesses and churches for the so-called “new normal” back in June 1, 2020.

With the development, the church administration is asking those who had close contact with the infected employees to undergo swab tests to determine whether or not they are infected.