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CORONAVIRUS THREAT

Direct flights from Wuhan to PHL suspended; tighter airport surveillance observed


The Philippines is suspending all direct flights from Wuhan, China to the country following an outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the Chinese city.

According to a report on Unang Balita on Friday,  this was a decision reached by the Civil and Aeronautics Board, Department of Health Bureau of Quarantine, Department of Transportation, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and certain airline companies to prevent the spread of the virus in the country.

The report said the Bureau of Quarantine is strictly monitoring flights from of China in Philippine airports.

All passengers have been urged to fill up health declaration cards, while airline personnel were asked to keep an eye out for passengers showing symptoms.

Authorities have also asked airlines to preserve their passengers' locator cards.

"'Yung ating flight crew gusto natin na, habang nasa eroplano pa lamang, tinitignan na rin itong mga pasahero kung mga may sakit, and to be able to take precautions kung may makita sila and, of course, report to the Bureau of Quarantine," Health Undersecretary Erik Domingo said.

"We asked them to maintain the records of the locator yung passenger locator records ng mga flights nila for at least after the flight," he added.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Ed Monreal urged the public to cooperate with authorities. "Makipag-cooperate po tayo. 'Pag sinabi po na dumaan sa scanner kailangan ho dumaan tayo. Kung may nararamdaman ho sila, magpaalam at magsabi sa mga doctor."

According to Bam Allegre's report from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Friday morning, passengers arriving from Guangzhou, China said they have been "strictly" observed.

In Cebu, GMA News' Nico Sereno also reported that both passengers and personnel at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) were undergoing strict surveillance. As seen in the report, passengers at the MCIA were being monitored using heat sensors.

Personnel with direct contact with the passengers have been instructed to wear face masks, including the ground personnel and immigration staff.

Airport authorities said they've also ordered the disinfecting of planes used in international flights, as well as the installation of hand sanitizers in several parts of the airport.

As of January 23, Beijing confirmed 830 cases of patients infected with the virus, and the death toll has risen to 25.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has deemed the new coronavirus "an emergency in China" even as non-fatal cases have been found in at least seven other countries. —Margaret Claire Layug/KBK, GMA News

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