Filipino diplomat at UN diagnosed with COVID-19

A Filipino diplomat at the UN has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The Philippines Mission informed the UN medical service on Thursday about the diplomat’s infection, Dujarric said.

That is the only coronavirus case at the UN headquarters where a staff of about 3,000 work and several hundred diplomats from 193 countries regularly participate in its activities.

The diplomat, who was not identified, had been at the UN on Monday for about 30 minutes for a meeting and the meeting room has gone through three cycles of cleaning, Dujarric said.

The diplomat did not meet any UN staffer, but had been in contact with two diplomats from another country and the UN medical service was reaching out to them, Dujarric said in an email.

Earlier, he had said that the UN would follow the directions of the federal and New York officials in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.

New York officials require people suffering from Covid-19 or have been exposed to it to self-quarantine themselves.

Where the diplomat lived is not known. New York City has 96 coronavirus cases with 146 more clustered in a suburb.

The UN has been taking several precautions like cancelling large meetings, having staff telecommute and adding staff to clean the building.