President Rodrigo Duterte has expanded the coverage of the temporary travel ban amid the threat of the 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019-nCOV to now include foreign travellers to and from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
The wider travel ban, announced Sunday initially by Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go, came just two days after the President ordered a temporarily ban on the entry of visitors from China's Hubei province where Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, is located.
Go said Duterte accepted the recommendation of the Department of Health (DOH) along with the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Subsequently on Sunday mid-morning, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea announced in a statement from Malacañang that the temporary ban now covers the following:
- The entry of any person, regardless of nationality, except Filipino citizens and foreigners holding permanent resident visas issued by the Philippine government, directly coming from China and its special administrative regions (SARs) Hong Kong and Macau
- The entry of any person, regardless of nationality, except Filipino citizens and holders of permanent resident visa issued by the Philippine government, who within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines, has been to China and its SARs
- Temporary ban on Filipinos from travelling to China and its SARs
The infectious diseases task force also recommended the establishment of a repatriation and quarantine facility and a mandatory 14-day quarantine for Filipinos and permanent resident visa holders coming from any place in China and its SARs.
"Taking into consideration the concerns raised by key government officials and health experts, the President made an informed decision and has agreed to adopt this recommendation and implement it immediately as additional precautionary measure to protect Filipinos and everyone in the Philippines," said Go, who also echoed the proposal.
The senator clarified that they are not "singling out" Chinese nationals amid this recommendation.
"I wish to emphasize that we are not singling out Chinese nationals. This order covers all travelers from China to the Philippines, regardless of nationality. We emphatize with China given what they are going through but we are doing this to protect the country and its people," Go said.
Over the past week, some groups called on the public to refrain from being discriminatory, especially against the Chinese nationals following news of the virus.
Philippines reports first nCOV death
On the same day, the Philippines has also reported the first death of a patient who tested for novel coronavirus, bringing to two the total number of confirmed cases in the country.The DOH said the patient was the partner of the 38-year-old female Chinese national who was first confirmed in the country to have acquired the virus, after arriving from Wuhan last January 21.
"Our persons under investigation have not been increasing rapidly. And I think, with the ban now of the President, it will be a lot easier for us kasi kakaunti na po ang babantayan nating papasok ng Pilipinas (because fewer individuals entering the Philippines will be monitored)," Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.
As of this morning, a total of 305 people had died from coronavirus in mainland China, according to the country's National Health Commission.
The total number of confirmed cases worldwide has increased to 14,380, a CNN International report says.
At least 36 patients who showed symptoms were under observation as of Sunday.
READ FULL: First Coronavirus death outside China reported in Philippines
This is a developing story. Please refresh this page for updates.
Found this article interesting? Share it with your friends! 👍🏼
This article first appeared on CNN Philippines.
Enjoyed the article? We are a team of volunteers who want to provide relevant and factual information. We appreciate any amount of donation to keep the inspiring stories from our team coming! 🙏
No comments:
Post a Comment