KC Concepcion
MANILA, Philippines — KC Concepcion has broken her silence on the viral party hosted by Tim Yap in Baguio City, and apologized for not keeping her mask on “100 percent of the time” during the gathering.
“I do agree that keeping a mask on and not letting our guards down is the least we citizens could do,” the actress said in an Instagram post on Friday.
“I personally apologize for not having kept my mask on 100% of the time during a gathering. It has been 2 weeks since then and I hope we can move forward with lessons learned about safety protocols indoors or outdoors when in a crowd,” she added.
“I understand the panic. And I would react in a similar way.”
The party, which was held on Jan. 17 at The Manor in Camp John Hay, drew widespread flak as it was held amid a heightened alert over the city due to rising Covid-19 cases.
Photos and videos that circulated on social media showed KC and other party guests not wearing their face masks.
The party was also attended by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and his wife Arlene. The mayor later resigned as the country’s contact tracing czar over the controversy.
KC, Tim and other party guests, meanwhile, were fined P1,500 each for violating Baguio’s Covid-19 protocols.
In her post, the actress thanked nurses, doctors, frontliners and caregivers “who have been working hard since the beginning of last year.”
“To be honest, we are all still getting used to our new normal,” she said.
“I quarantined solo for 3 months, not leaving my house, trying to be strong home alone to keep myself and others safe, and had no one at home to lean on.”
“Mentally, it was taking its toll, which it did on so many of us regular people, but most especially on our frontliners who have been working nonstop to keep our communities safe. Thank you,” she added.
KC also said: “We need to travel more responsibly. We need to gather more responsibly. Stay focused and patient. We can get through this together. In the meantime, we should take care of our mental health, always, as much as the physical, no matter what.”
“As I’ve learned, we can connect with each other and love each other, while still being extra careful for ourselves and one another,” she said, adding that she let her “guard down for five minutes.”
“While I was vigilant 99% of the time, 99% is not enough. Moving forward… Take care out there everyone. We have a long way to go. Tomorrow is a new day,” she concluded.
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