Coronavirus death toll at 563
Published Feb 6, 2020 12:00 am
By Agence France-Presse
BEIJING/HANGZHOU, China — The number of confirmed infections in China's coronavirus outbreak has reached 28,018 nationwide with 3,694 new cases reported and 73 new deaths, most of them in hardest-hit Hubei province, bringing the national toll to 563 as Chinese authorities warned of severe shortage of hospital beds and equipment to treat patients.
(REUTERS/Tyrone Siu / MANILA BULLETIN)
The National Health Commission said Thursday the number of confirmed infections rose to more than 28,000 nationwide in an outbreak that has spiraled into a global health emergency with cases reported in more than 20 countries.
Among the cases was a newborn baby, diagnosed just 30 hours after being born. Six Filipino passengers of two domestic flights boarded by the two Chinese tourists who tested positive for 2019-novel Corona Virus (2019-nCoV) showed signs and symptoms of respiratory diseases.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III reported on Thursday the death of a 59-year-old Filipina domestic worker in Dubai on January 29 due to coronavirus.
Bello said he was unsure yet of what coronavirus caused the death of the Filipina.
Col. Rhoderick Armamento, deputy chief for Operations of the police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said three of the passengers were on board the January 21 Cebu-Dumaguete flight of Cebu Pacific while the three others were in the Dumaguete-Manila flight of the Philippine Air Lines (PAL).
"Among the 61 passengers on board the Cebu Pacific flight 5J 241 from Cebu to Dumaguete City, the CIDG has already contacted 23 passengers, of which, three were con- firmed to have manifested signs and symptoms of the respiratory infec- tion," said Armamento.
He said one of the three passengers already went to the local hospital for quarantine while the two opted to stay inside their house.
Armamento said that the already advised the Department of Health about the other two passengers. "For the 132 passengers of PAL 2452 from Dumaguete City to Manila 25 passengers were already contacted, three of which are now on quarantine in different hospitals," said Armamento.
‘Severe lack of hospital beds’
Despite authorities building a hospital from scratch and converting public buildings to accommodate thousands of extra patients, there was still a ''severe'' lack of beds, said Hu Lishan, an official in Wuhan, the quarantined city where the virus first appeared — and where doctors are now overwhelmed with cases.
There was also a shortage of ''equipment and materials,'' he told reporters, adding that officials were looking to convert other hotels and schools in the city into treatment centers.
A growing number of cities have imposed a range of restrictions far from Hubei, as authorities battle to contain the virus.
Tens of millions of people, from the eastern industrial heartlands to near the northern border with Russia, have been told to stay indoors as authorities battle to curb the outbreak.
Global concerns have risen after the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency last week.
The WHO called for $675 million (613 million euros) in donations for a plan to fight the novel coronavirus, mainly through investment in countries considered particularly ''at risk.''
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to commit up to $100 million.
Ten more people on a cruise ship off Japan's coast have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the health minister said Thursday, raising the number of infections detected on the boat to 20.
Japanese authorities have tested 273 people among the approximately 3,700 passengers and crew on the ship after a man who got off the boat last month in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the new strain.
On Wednesday, “we received 31 test results, of which 10 were positive,” Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told parliament.
Also in Japan, the chief executive of the Tokyo Olympics set for later this year admitted organizers were ''extremely worried'' about how the virus could affect the Summer Games, but the International Olympic Committee urged calm.
Italy announced that passengers from every international flight would be scanned for fevers, while Vietnam joined a growing list of countries banning arrivals from China. Hong Kong, which reported its first coronavirus death this week, said anyone arriving from the mainland would face a mandatory two-week quarantine from Saturday.
READ MORE: ‘Severe’ hospital bed shortage at China virus epicentre: officials
Number to dwindle in two months
The Department of Health (DOH) expressed hope that the number of persons under investigation (PUIs) for the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019 nCoV ARD) in the country will be contained in one to two months.
"Ito ang nakikita natin siguro baka for the next month — after one month or two — saka makikita natin na bababa yung kaso (PUIs). Wala na tayong entry na nag-travel through China in the last four days na ," Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo told reporters on Thursday.
"Pag nakaabot tayo ng 14 days doon, then mas madali na sa atin kasi ang babantayan na lang natin yung mga nandito na sa Pilipinas. Hopefully, unti-unti ng bababa yung PUI natin (If we reach 14 days, then it will be easier for us because we will just be monitoring those who are here in the Philippines. Hopefully, the number of PUIs will dwindle)," he added.
A total of 133 PUIs for 2019-nCoV ARD were recorded by the DOH since they started their monitoring early January.
Of the total figure, 115 are admitted and isolated in medical facilities, while 16 have been discharged but under strict monitoring.
Quarantine site
In a press conference late Thursday afternoon, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that two buildings at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac have been designated as quarantine site for the Filipinos who will be repatriated from China on Sunday.
One building will be allotted for the quarantined Filipinos, while the other will be occupied by the staff who will be providing support services to them.
According to Duque, facilities at what served as Athletes’ Village in the recently-concluded 30th Southeast Asian Games convinced them that it would be a better venue for the 14-day quarantine than the drug rehabilitation center in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
Moreover, the New Clark City buildings would just be a few minutes ride from the Clark International Airport where the Filipinos are set to arrive early Sunday.
Duque said each repatriated Filipino will have his or her own room.
Each room has its own toilet, is air- conditioned and has television and refrigerator. Packed meals will be brought to their rooms.
Meanwhile, Domingo said the drug rehabilitation center in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija is still being readied as possible quarantine site for returning Filipinos from China.
“The building is there pero furnishings ata kailangan pa . Syempre hindi sya ginagamit ngayon so kailangan pang ay- usin yung mga banyo siguro--lilinisin--sa- ka gawin lang habit- able yung building ,” said Domingo.
READ MORE: DOH: PUIs could decrease in 1-2 months; body of first nCoV death still not cremated
2ND OFW with nCoV
A second Filipino working abroad was quarantined in Hong Kong following expo- sure to her employer who tested positive for 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Wednesday night.
The DFA’s confirmation came even as it assured the public that the Philippine government has a vigilant and tested plan to ensure the health and the welfare of Filipinos domestically and overseas amid concerns on the coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement, the DFA said the Philip- pine Consulate in Hong Kong verified with local authorities the status of the second Filipino, a household service worker.
“Just like the first case, the said Filipino is healthy and asymptomatic, but needs to undergo 14-day quarantine based on Hong Kong’s protocol,” DFA said in the statement.
In assuring the public, the DFA added that it will continue to work closely with relevant government agencies to extend immediate assistance to Filipinos who are quarantined abroad.
“We urge our countrymen in affected areas worldwide to abide by the guidelines of host countries and take the necessary personal precautions to ensure their health and safety,” the foreign affairs office said.
In Tacloban City, three more persons under investigation (PUIs), including a seven-month old infant, were reported by the Department of Health in Eastern Visayas for 2019 n-CoV.
As of February 5, the DOH reported a total of seven PUIs and seven per- sons under monitoring (PUMs) in the region, with two patients already discharged from the hospital.
The three new PUIs in Leyte, with travel history to Macau from December 23 to January 28, were admitted and isolated on February 4.
They arrived in the city on January 29.
The 5th PUI, a seven-month-old infant had experienced an unproductive cough and fever when they consulted a private hospital on January 29.
His mother, the 6th PUI, is a 26- year-old Filipina who also developed mild cough and sore throat on January 27 but currently has no more major complaints.
Her sister-in-law, the 7th PUI, also a 26-year old Filipina experienced mild cough on January 28 but is now asymptomatic.
The DOH said it already collected first and second samples from the PUIs that would be sent to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM).
In Misamis Oriental, a 29-year- old overseas Filipino worker from Hong Kong will be released on Saturday after she was placed in isolation room in a nearby hospital here Monday, provided that the nCov test on her comes out negative.
The female patient arrived from Hong Kong on February 2. In General Santos City, the City Council has declared a state of calamity amid reports that a local Chinese trader was placed under monitoring for possible nCoV.
In Zamboanga City, four persons in Region 9 were place under the category “Persons Under Monitoring (PUM).” Dr. Joshua G. Brillantes, DOH-9 assistant regional director said the four had a history of coming from countries now infected with the nCov virus and arrived in this country recently.
READ MORE: DFA confirms 2nd Filipino OFW quarantined in HK for nCoV
Don’t panic
The nation must foster "solidarity, empathy and cooperation" to mitigate the threat of the new coronavirus rather than resort to panic and spread fear and misinformation, according to Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.
As the government remained "on top of the situation" to address the latest health concern, Andanar said the public should stay vigilant yet calm given the low fatality rate of the respiratory illness.
"Let us not resort to panic, sow fear-mongering or spread misinformation," Andanar said “Solidarity, empathy, and cooperation are what we need to successfully take actions that will overcome this health concern,” said Andanar, Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS X) for Northern Mindanao.
READ MORE: Andanar reminds public to be wary of nCoV misinformation, points to ‘low fatality rate’
PMA alumni homecoming
This year's Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumni homecoming in Baguio City has been rescheduled from February 14-15 to February 25 to address concerns on the possible spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019 nCoV ARD).
In a statement released Wednesday night, PMA Alumni Association, Inc. Chair Cavalier Rufo de Veyra said the decision to postpone the activity "is in deference to health and public safety concerns regarding nCoV."
"Alumni classes, especially Jubilarians caught in this late-breaking development, are advised to exercise their best judgements on how to proceed with their individual Class events in sync with the new date," De Veyra said.
READ MORE: PMA alumni board postpones Homecoming 2020
Special PAL flights
Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced on Wednesday (Feb. 5) that it will be sending special flights to and from mainland China on Feb. 10 to help stranded passengers whose flights were cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“The flag carrier was compelled to cancel its mainland China flights since February 2, after the Philippine government imposed a ban on travel of Filipinos to mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, along with restric- tions barring foreign nationals from China from entering the Philippines (except for those holding Philippine- issued Permanent Resident Visas),” read PAL’s advisory on its Facebook page.
PAL said the special Feb. 10 flights will serve the Manila-Xiamen and Xiamen-Manila routes. PAL intends to use its 199-seater Airbus A321 aircraft for the planned mission.
READ MORE: PAL mounts volunteer-crewed special flights to-from Xiamen to ferry travel-ban stranded passengers
Air Asia
AirAsia confirmed on Wednesday that the Philippines' third confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection was aboard its flight from Cebu to Shenzen, China last Jan. 31.
The airline said it was ready and willing to provide relevant documents to the Department of Health (DOH), including the flight manifest and avail- able contact details of guests on board AirAsia flight Z2 7800.
The Chinese passenger was on an AirAsia flight that departed Cebu at 11:35 p.m. on Jan. 31 and arrived in Shenzen at 2:40 a.m. on Feb. 1.
READ MORE: Air Asia confirms 3rd nCoV case in PH was aboard one of its flights
Cathay
Cathay Dragon Airlines will cancel flights between Davao City and Hong Kong from February 11 to 28 amid the global novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak.
Xiamen Airlines had earlier announced the cancellation of its flights between Davao City and China's Jinjiang City due to the threat of the 2019- nCoV.
READ MORE: Cathay cancels Davao-Hong Kong flights this month
Hotlines
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has provided hotlines which passengers who travelled with the three foreign tourists who tested positive for the 2019 novel Corona Virus (nCoV) could call as the government launched its massive contact tracing.
PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said airline passengers of Cebu Pacific 5J 241 Hong Kong-Cebu on January 20 and 21, 2020; Cebu Pacific DG6519 Cebu-Dumaguete on January 21, 2020; Philippine Air- lines PR2542 Dumaguete-Manila on January 25, 2020; and AirAsia flight Z2 7800 Cebu-Schenzen on January 31, should contact the following hotlines: PNP- 0917- 847-5757 (SMS Hotline), CIDG Operations Center 0998-598- 8167, 0927-717-0752, DOH Call Center (632) 8651-7800 local 5003-5004 and (632) 165-364, and Mobile (DOH Main Office): +63918-8888364.
READ MORE: PNP provides hotlines for passengers who travelled with nCoV patients
Welcome
Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Eric Domingo said they see no problem in President Duterte personally welcoming the Filipinos coming from China especially if they are cleared of any illnesses.
"Wala naman pong sakit itong mga uuwi. Wala po. Isi-screen sila bago umalis doon, tapos pagdating naman po sa atin, titignan pa rin po sila ng ating Bureau of Quarantine (Those who will be coming home are not sick. They don't have any illness. They will be screened before leaving China, and then our Bureau of Quarantine will check them upon arrival here),” Domingo said in an interview over radio DzBB.
Domingo said the President may even approach or shake the hands of the returning Filipinos. "Marami na- man po tayong precuationary measures na magagawa (We have several precautionary measures in place)," he reiterated. The Department of Foreign Affairs said at least 40 Filipinos from Hubei, China will be repatriated.
READ MORE: Gov’t officials meet today on repatriation of Filipinos from Hubei, China
No field trips
The Department of Education (DepEd) is postponing more off- campus activities amid rising concern over the 2019-novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (nCoV ARD) in the country.
DepEd Undersecretary and spokesman lawyer Nepomuceno Malaluan said that aside from regional sports events which were earlier announced to have already been postponed, other off-campus activities, including field trips and school press conferences, have also been suspended.
Malaluan said the Palarong Pambansa will still push through, although the DepEd "will still have to see" how the postponement of the regional meet will affect it. (Reports from AFP, Roy C. Mabasa, Genalyn D. Kabiling, Analou De Vera, Marie Tonette Marticio, Bonita Ermac, Martin A. Sadongdong, Jeffrey G. Damicog, Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz, Jo- seph Almer Pedrajas, Aaron Recuenco, Vanne Elaine P. Terrazola, Nonoy E. Lacson, and Joseph Jubelag)
READ MORE: DepEd suspends most off-campus activities
(REUTERS/Tyrone Siu / MANILA BULLETIN)
The National Health Commission said Thursday the number of confirmed infections rose to more than 28,000 nationwide in an outbreak that has spiraled into a global health emergency with cases reported in more than 20 countries.
Among the cases was a newborn baby, diagnosed just 30 hours after being born. Six Filipino passengers of two domestic flights boarded by the two Chinese tourists who tested positive for 2019-novel Corona Virus (2019-nCoV) showed signs and symptoms of respiratory diseases.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III reported on Thursday the death of a 59-year-old Filipina domestic worker in Dubai on January 29 due to coronavirus.
Bello said he was unsure yet of what coronavirus caused the death of the Filipina.
Col. Rhoderick Armamento, deputy chief for Operations of the police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said three of the passengers were on board the January 21 Cebu-Dumaguete flight of Cebu Pacific while the three others were in the Dumaguete-Manila flight of the Philippine Air Lines (PAL).
"Among the 61 passengers on board the Cebu Pacific flight 5J 241 from Cebu to Dumaguete City, the CIDG has already contacted 23 passengers, of which, three were con- firmed to have manifested signs and symptoms of the respiratory infec- tion," said Armamento.
He said one of the three passengers already went to the local hospital for quarantine while the two opted to stay inside their house.
Armamento said that the already advised the Department of Health about the other two passengers. "For the 132 passengers of PAL 2452 from Dumaguete City to Manila 25 passengers were already contacted, three of which are now on quarantine in different hospitals," said Armamento.
‘Severe lack of hospital beds’
Despite authorities building a hospital from scratch and converting public buildings to accommodate thousands of extra patients, there was still a ''severe'' lack of beds, said Hu Lishan, an official in Wuhan, the quarantined city where the virus first appeared — and where doctors are now overwhelmed with cases.
There was also a shortage of ''equipment and materials,'' he told reporters, adding that officials were looking to convert other hotels and schools in the city into treatment centers.
A growing number of cities have imposed a range of restrictions far from Hubei, as authorities battle to contain the virus.
Tens of millions of people, from the eastern industrial heartlands to near the northern border with Russia, have been told to stay indoors as authorities battle to curb the outbreak.
Global concerns have risen after the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency last week.
The WHO called for $675 million (613 million euros) in donations for a plan to fight the novel coronavirus, mainly through investment in countries considered particularly ''at risk.''
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to commit up to $100 million.
Ten more people on a cruise ship off Japan's coast have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the health minister said Thursday, raising the number of infections detected on the boat to 20.
Japanese authorities have tested 273 people among the approximately 3,700 passengers and crew on the ship after a man who got off the boat last month in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the new strain.
On Wednesday, “we received 31 test results, of which 10 were positive,” Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told parliament.
Also in Japan, the chief executive of the Tokyo Olympics set for later this year admitted organizers were ''extremely worried'' about how the virus could affect the Summer Games, but the International Olympic Committee urged calm.
Italy announced that passengers from every international flight would be scanned for fevers, while Vietnam joined a growing list of countries banning arrivals from China. Hong Kong, which reported its first coronavirus death this week, said anyone arriving from the mainland would face a mandatory two-week quarantine from Saturday.
READ MORE: ‘Severe’ hospital bed shortage at China virus epicentre: officials
Number to dwindle in two months
The Department of Health (DOH) expressed hope that the number of persons under investigation (PUIs) for the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019 nCoV ARD) in the country will be contained in one to two months.
"Ito ang nakikita natin siguro baka for the next month — after one month or two — saka makikita natin na bababa yung kaso (PUIs). Wala na tayong entry na nag-travel through China in the last four days na ," Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo told reporters on Thursday.
"Pag nakaabot tayo ng 14 days doon, then mas madali na sa atin kasi ang babantayan na lang natin yung mga nandito na sa Pilipinas. Hopefully, unti-unti ng bababa yung PUI natin (If we reach 14 days, then it will be easier for us because we will just be monitoring those who are here in the Philippines. Hopefully, the number of PUIs will dwindle)," he added.
A total of 133 PUIs for 2019-nCoV ARD were recorded by the DOH since they started their monitoring early January.
Of the total figure, 115 are admitted and isolated in medical facilities, while 16 have been discharged but under strict monitoring.
Quarantine site
In a press conference late Thursday afternoon, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that two buildings at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac have been designated as quarantine site for the Filipinos who will be repatriated from China on Sunday.
One building will be allotted for the quarantined Filipinos, while the other will be occupied by the staff who will be providing support services to them.
According to Duque, facilities at what served as Athletes’ Village in the recently-concluded 30th Southeast Asian Games convinced them that it would be a better venue for the 14-day quarantine than the drug rehabilitation center in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
Moreover, the New Clark City buildings would just be a few minutes ride from the Clark International Airport where the Filipinos are set to arrive early Sunday.
Duque said each repatriated Filipino will have his or her own room.
Each room has its own toilet, is air- conditioned and has television and refrigerator. Packed meals will be brought to their rooms.
Meanwhile, Domingo said the drug rehabilitation center in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija is still being readied as possible quarantine site for returning Filipinos from China.
“The building is there pero furnishings ata kailangan pa . Syempre hindi sya ginagamit ngayon so kailangan pang ay- usin yung mga banyo siguro--lilinisin--sa- ka gawin lang habit- able yung building ,” said Domingo.
READ MORE: DOH: PUIs could decrease in 1-2 months; body of first nCoV death still not cremated
2ND OFW with nCoV
A second Filipino working abroad was quarantined in Hong Kong following expo- sure to her employer who tested positive for 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Wednesday night.
The DFA’s confirmation came even as it assured the public that the Philippine government has a vigilant and tested plan to ensure the health and the welfare of Filipinos domestically and overseas amid concerns on the coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement, the DFA said the Philip- pine Consulate in Hong Kong verified with local authorities the status of the second Filipino, a household service worker.
“Just like the first case, the said Filipino is healthy and asymptomatic, but needs to undergo 14-day quarantine based on Hong Kong’s protocol,” DFA said in the statement.
In assuring the public, the DFA added that it will continue to work closely with relevant government agencies to extend immediate assistance to Filipinos who are quarantined abroad.
“We urge our countrymen in affected areas worldwide to abide by the guidelines of host countries and take the necessary personal precautions to ensure their health and safety,” the foreign affairs office said.
In Tacloban City, three more persons under investigation (PUIs), including a seven-month old infant, were reported by the Department of Health in Eastern Visayas for 2019 n-CoV.
As of February 5, the DOH reported a total of seven PUIs and seven per- sons under monitoring (PUMs) in the region, with two patients already discharged from the hospital.
The three new PUIs in Leyte, with travel history to Macau from December 23 to January 28, were admitted and isolated on February 4.
They arrived in the city on January 29.
The 5th PUI, a seven-month-old infant had experienced an unproductive cough and fever when they consulted a private hospital on January 29.
His mother, the 6th PUI, is a 26- year-old Filipina who also developed mild cough and sore throat on January 27 but currently has no more major complaints.
Her sister-in-law, the 7th PUI, also a 26-year old Filipina experienced mild cough on January 28 but is now asymptomatic.
The DOH said it already collected first and second samples from the PUIs that would be sent to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM).
In Misamis Oriental, a 29-year- old overseas Filipino worker from Hong Kong will be released on Saturday after she was placed in isolation room in a nearby hospital here Monday, provided that the nCov test on her comes out negative.
The female patient arrived from Hong Kong on February 2. In General Santos City, the City Council has declared a state of calamity amid reports that a local Chinese trader was placed under monitoring for possible nCoV.
In Zamboanga City, four persons in Region 9 were place under the category “Persons Under Monitoring (PUM).” Dr. Joshua G. Brillantes, DOH-9 assistant regional director said the four had a history of coming from countries now infected with the nCov virus and arrived in this country recently.
READ MORE: DFA confirms 2nd Filipino OFW quarantined in HK for nCoV
Don’t panic
The nation must foster "solidarity, empathy and cooperation" to mitigate the threat of the new coronavirus rather than resort to panic and spread fear and misinformation, according to Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.
As the government remained "on top of the situation" to address the latest health concern, Andanar said the public should stay vigilant yet calm given the low fatality rate of the respiratory illness.
"Let us not resort to panic, sow fear-mongering or spread misinformation," Andanar said “Solidarity, empathy, and cooperation are what we need to successfully take actions that will overcome this health concern,” said Andanar, Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS X) for Northern Mindanao.
READ MORE: Andanar reminds public to be wary of nCoV misinformation, points to ‘low fatality rate’
PMA alumni homecoming
This year's Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumni homecoming in Baguio City has been rescheduled from February 14-15 to February 25 to address concerns on the possible spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019 nCoV ARD).
In a statement released Wednesday night, PMA Alumni Association, Inc. Chair Cavalier Rufo de Veyra said the decision to postpone the activity "is in deference to health and public safety concerns regarding nCoV."
"Alumni classes, especially Jubilarians caught in this late-breaking development, are advised to exercise their best judgements on how to proceed with their individual Class events in sync with the new date," De Veyra said.
READ MORE: PMA alumni board postpones Homecoming 2020
Special PAL flights
Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced on Wednesday (Feb. 5) that it will be sending special flights to and from mainland China on Feb. 10 to help stranded passengers whose flights were cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“The flag carrier was compelled to cancel its mainland China flights since February 2, after the Philippine government imposed a ban on travel of Filipinos to mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, along with restric- tions barring foreign nationals from China from entering the Philippines (except for those holding Philippine- issued Permanent Resident Visas),” read PAL’s advisory on its Facebook page.
PAL said the special Feb. 10 flights will serve the Manila-Xiamen and Xiamen-Manila routes. PAL intends to use its 199-seater Airbus A321 aircraft for the planned mission.
READ MORE: PAL mounts volunteer-crewed special flights to-from Xiamen to ferry travel-ban stranded passengers
Air Asia
AirAsia confirmed on Wednesday that the Philippines' third confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection was aboard its flight from Cebu to Shenzen, China last Jan. 31.
The airline said it was ready and willing to provide relevant documents to the Department of Health (DOH), including the flight manifest and avail- able contact details of guests on board AirAsia flight Z2 7800.
The Chinese passenger was on an AirAsia flight that departed Cebu at 11:35 p.m. on Jan. 31 and arrived in Shenzen at 2:40 a.m. on Feb. 1.
READ MORE: Air Asia confirms 3rd nCoV case in PH was aboard one of its flights
Cathay
Cathay Dragon Airlines will cancel flights between Davao City and Hong Kong from February 11 to 28 amid the global novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak.
Xiamen Airlines had earlier announced the cancellation of its flights between Davao City and China's Jinjiang City due to the threat of the 2019- nCoV.
READ MORE: Cathay cancels Davao-Hong Kong flights this month
Hotlines
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has provided hotlines which passengers who travelled with the three foreign tourists who tested positive for the 2019 novel Corona Virus (nCoV) could call as the government launched its massive contact tracing.
PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said airline passengers of Cebu Pacific 5J 241 Hong Kong-Cebu on January 20 and 21, 2020; Cebu Pacific DG6519 Cebu-Dumaguete on January 21, 2020; Philippine Air- lines PR2542 Dumaguete-Manila on January 25, 2020; and AirAsia flight Z2 7800 Cebu-Schenzen on January 31, should contact the following hotlines: PNP- 0917- 847-5757 (SMS Hotline), CIDG Operations Center 0998-598- 8167, 0927-717-0752, DOH Call Center (632) 8651-7800 local 5003-5004 and (632) 165-364, and Mobile (DOH Main Office): +63918-8888364.
READ MORE: PNP provides hotlines for passengers who travelled with nCoV patients
Welcome
Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Eric Domingo said they see no problem in President Duterte personally welcoming the Filipinos coming from China especially if they are cleared of any illnesses.
"Wala naman pong sakit itong mga uuwi. Wala po. Isi-screen sila bago umalis doon, tapos pagdating naman po sa atin, titignan pa rin po sila ng ating Bureau of Quarantine (Those who will be coming home are not sick. They don't have any illness. They will be screened before leaving China, and then our Bureau of Quarantine will check them upon arrival here),” Domingo said in an interview over radio DzBB.
Domingo said the President may even approach or shake the hands of the returning Filipinos. "Marami na- man po tayong precuationary measures na magagawa (We have several precautionary measures in place)," he reiterated. The Department of Foreign Affairs said at least 40 Filipinos from Hubei, China will be repatriated.
READ MORE: Gov’t officials meet today on repatriation of Filipinos from Hubei, China
No field trips
The Department of Education (DepEd) is postponing more off- campus activities amid rising concern over the 2019-novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (nCoV ARD) in the country.
DepEd Undersecretary and spokesman lawyer Nepomuceno Malaluan said that aside from regional sports events which were earlier announced to have already been postponed, other off-campus activities, including field trips and school press conferences, have also been suspended.
Malaluan said the Palarong Pambansa will still push through, although the DepEd "will still have to see" how the postponement of the regional meet will affect it. (Reports from AFP, Roy C. Mabasa, Genalyn D. Kabiling, Analou De Vera, Marie Tonette Marticio, Bonita Ermac, Martin A. Sadongdong, Jeffrey G. Damicog, Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz, Jo- seph Almer Pedrajas, Aaron Recuenco, Vanne Elaine P. Terrazola, Nonoy E. Lacson, and Joseph Jubelag)
READ MORE: DepEd suspends most off-campus activities