Almost 500 Chinese tourists in Kalibo to go back to China —CAAP

Almost 500 tourists in Kalibo, Aklan originating from Wuhan City are set to go back to China, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said Friday.

The move comes on the heels of the Philippines’ decision to suspend all direct flights from Wuhan to the country following the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus.

In a phone interview, CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio told GMA News Online that bringing back the Chinese tourists from their point of origin was their airlines’ decision.

“They have to be sent back now and tomorrow,” Apolonio said.

The CAAP official said a total of 464 passengers in Kalibo are scheduled to be brought back to Wuhan on the following dates:

• January 23: Pan Pacific (Departure time: 10:23 p.m., 172 pax)
• January 24: Royal Air (Departure time: 8:40 p.m., 142 pax)
• January 27: Royal Air (Departure time: 8:40 p.m., 150 pax)

The January 27 flight already includes the 135 passengers who were able to leave Wuhan for the Philippines just hours before the lockdown of the city.

Wuhan's local government said it would close all urban transport networks and suspend outgoing flights from the city as of 10 a.m. on Thursday (0200 GMT), state media reported, adding that the government said citizens should not leave the city unless there were special circumstances.

Wuhan in China was believed to be where the previously unknown coronavirus strain emerged.

China has confirmed that so far, the virus has killed 25 people in China and infected more than 800. Cases have already been reported in the US. Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Thailand.

More than a dozen cities around the epicenter of the virus have been have suspended transportation, restricting the movement of more than 40 million people.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health has earlier identified 22 individuals who arrived with colds, cough and fever after travelling from China amid the threat of the n-CoV. They are now under observation.

Authorities earlier said the family of a Chinese citizen who became the first case of novel coronavirus infection in Hong Kong had traveled to the Philippines.

On Tuesday, a child who arrived in Cebu from Wuhan tested positive for non-specific pan coronavirus assay. This meant that the child was infected with a coronavirus. Health authorities later found out that a specimen from the child tested negative for the virus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called the n-CoV "an emergency in China" on Thursday, but stopped short of declaring the epidemic of international concern.

Researchers have said n-CoV may have originated in bats or snakes, based on genetic analysis of the virus. — MDM/KG, GMA News