11 Aug 2020

Guam Governor tests positive for Covid-19

9:27 am on 11 August 2020

Guam's Governor Lou Leon Guerrero has tested positive for Covid-19.

This was confirmed in a statement from her office last night.

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero Photo: Supplied/ Expressions Studio

It said on 5 August the governor came in contact with a close relative who had tested positive for Covid-19.

Lou Leon Guerrero and her husband were immediately tested but got a negative result for the coronavirus.

However it said they took precautionary measures wearing face masks, practicing social distancing and limiting travel to essential functions.

On 8 August the governor began to show some symptoms of the virus, she was tested again on Monday afternoon and got a positive result back last night.

Lou Leon Guerrero said despite having moderate symptoms of Covid-19 she felt well but would remain isolated in home quarantine pending her recovery.

She implored everyone to use her experience as a reminder of just how serious and contagious the virus was. She asked everyone to help protect the island and their loved ones by wearing their masks, washing their hands and practicing social distancing.

"Lieutenant Governor Tenorio and the Acting Chief of Staff both tested negative for Covid-19. Together, we are monitoring the budget talks, and I will continue to lead the fiscal and COVID response teams from home," Lou Leon Guerrero said.

The governor's positive test result came just hours after six more cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Guam bringing the total number on the island so far to 418.

The Guam Daily Post reported five people had been admitted to the Guam Memorial Hospital with the virus.

It reported the hospital's chief executive officer, Lillian Perez-Posadas, saying one person was scheduled to be discharged Monday, three were in a stable condition, and the fifth person was in the intensive care unit and required the use of a ventilator.