Antique mulls temporary ban on entry of mainland Chinese

Antique Cong. Loren Legarda
“We cannot let our guard down despite the assurance from the Department of Health that our country has no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus,” says Deputy speaker Loren Legarda of Antique.

SAN JOSE, Antique – Amid growing fears over coronavirus, Deputy speaker Loren Legarda is urging local authorities here to impose travel restrictions – banning the entry of visitors who came from China and other countries with suspected or confirmed cases of the said virus.

“Despite the assurance from the Department of Health (DOH) that the Philippines has no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), we cannot let our guard down,” Legarda stressed, citing the new strain of the coronavirus already resulted to an epidemic in Wuhan City, Hubei, China and has rapidly spread to other countries.

As of Monday, the WHO reported at least 2,978 confirmed cases globally, with at least 2,741 coming from China.

The health department meanwhile said that several patients in Metro Manila, Palawan, Aklan, Leyte, Cebu, and Camiguin are being monitored for having symptoms possibly related to the Novel Coronavirus, and those that have traveled to Wuhan

 “This rise in Novel Coronavirus cases is a cause for alarm, especially because our country is one of the most visited by tourists from all over the world. The health and safety of my ‘kasimanwa’ are always my top priority. Hence, I am urging local authorities to impose a temporary ban on tourists coming from China and identified countries with confirmed and suspected cases into the province of Antique. Health security checks must be done for people coming into the province,” Legarda said.

China has already announced ban on outbound travel to contain the spread of the virus that originated in Wuhan. Other Asian countries like Taiwan and Malaysia have also tightened inbound and outbound travel in China as a precautionary measure. In line with this, Legarda also welcomed the order of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) for airlines to suspend flights coming to and from Wuhan.

 “This is not an overreaction, but an aggressive effort to assure Antiqueños that appropriate precautionary measures are in place. We need to exercise vigilance in preparing and providing for all possible contingencies,” Legarda concluded.

 According to the WHO, the newly-identified strain of coronavirus was first monitored on December 31, 2019 in Wuhan City. On January 7, 2020, the said virus was identified as a coronavirus, which according to WHO, is a family of viruses that cause common cold, and more serious diseases such as SARS and MERS. This can be transmitted when through a close contact with a person infected of the disease./PN

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