KALIBO, Aklan – The officials of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) here assured the locals that there is no cause for alarm after 11 Chinese tourists were put under medical observation due to possible symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus.
PHO Officer 1 Dr. Cornelio Cuachon Jr. said that they managed to track down the foreigners in a resort in the Boracay Island.
As a preventative move, the tourists were transported immediately to Kalibo, Aklan on Jan. 24.
The said 11 Chinese nationals from Hubei province – 7 adults and four children – were supposed to spend their one-month vacation in the island when health authorities from Hong Kong alerted the Philippine health officials to conduct intensive contact tracing.
Four of them were in close contact with an infected coronavirus patient in Hong Kong.
“They had no flu-like symptoms, walang ubo or lagnat. Doon sila sa training center dahil they might be at risk of hospital acquired-pneumonia if we admitted them. Ang apat na Chinese tourists na may close contacts sa isang confirmed coronavirus patient sa Hong Kong, kasama ng apat ang pitong Chinese nationals sa Boracay ay under medical observation din,” Cuachon added.
The said tourists arrived in Kalibo via a Hong Kong- Manila flight on Jan. 22.
Health authorities are closely monitoring the traced contacts while they are staying in the hotel rooms of Gov. Corazon L. Cabagnot Tourism and Training Center in Old Buswang, Kalibo for the next 14 days.
“Araw araw naka monitor tayo sa kanila. Pagkatapos ng 14 days incubation period, they will be allowed to go back to China, sa tulong ng China Embassy in the Philippines, at hindi na ipagpatuloy ang bakasyon sa Boracay,” Cuachon said.
He emphasized that there are still no confirmed cases of the 2019-nCov in the province and in the country. (With a report from Akean Forum/PN)