DOH: 14-day quarantine for Filipinos at Fort Magsaysay ‘like staying at hotel’

The 14-day quarantine for Filipinos who availed of the government's voluntary repatriation program amid the novel coronavirus outbreak is just like staying at a hotel with medical monitoring, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday.

"Wala naman silang sakit eh, ika-quarantine lang natin sila... 'Yung may sakit hindi naman doon pupunta, sa ospital natin dadalhin so this is more like a hotel accommodation na required natin with monitoring," DOH spokesperson Undersecretary Eric Domingo said at a press conference.

"Hindi naman ganoon kadami 'yung ire-repatriate natin eh, so probably it will be easier if we keep them at one quarantine facility," he added.

Earlier in the day, the Palace announced that the first batch of Filipinos who will be repatriated from China will arrive on Saturday and shall head straight to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

"They will not be passing through the regular Bureau of Quarantine area and the immigration area. We'll make special arrangements and then they will be transferred to the quarantine facility," Domingo said.

The Philippines has three confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection—all Chinese nationals.

More than 200 persons in the country who had been in contact with the first two cases were already identified, 15 of whom were already exhibiting fever, cough, and colds.

Of the 133 suspected cases in the country, 115 are admitted at hospitals while 16 others were already discharged, according to the DOH. — MDM, GMA News