Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Tuesday announced that he has tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“Today, March 31, I received the result from RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) informing me that I am positive for Covid-19,” Año said in a phone interview.

Año started his self-quarantine on March 26 after learning four persons he had associated with have tested positive for Covid-19.

“I make this announcement to call the attention of all persons I had close contact with to go on self-quarantine and observe any symptoms,” Año said.

He said the result of his test will not dampen his spirit and energy to perform his job as one of the officials of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases tasked to combat the deadly virus.

“I have no symptoms but I’m taking all precautions and staying home and videoconferencing with IATF members almost every day,” he said.

Año urged the people he had contact with to follow the Department of Health (DOH) guidelines on self-quarantine.

“I am advising everyone to stay at home and follow social distancing. Your strong commitment will help defeat the virus,” he added.