Photo from PCG
MANILA, Philippines — The two Chinese vessels that arrived at Pier 15, South Harbor in Port Area, Manila have been declared safe by the Bureau of Quarantine amid the rising cases of novel coronavirus in China, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Tuesday.
In a statement, PCG said the “World Dream Cruise Ship,” which came from Hong Kong, arrived in Manila on Tuesday morning.
The second ship, “MV Ligulao,” which is from Lianyungang, Jiangsu in China, arrived on Monday. Jiangsu, China is about 900 kilometers away from Wuhan, China, where the novel coronavirus is believed to have originated.
PCG said the Bureau of Quarantine cleared the docking of the two ships to allay fears that passengers may be carriers of the deadly virus that already claimed 106 lives and afflicted thousand others as of January 28.
“Upon coordinating with the PCG port state control officers at Pier 15, they confirmed that both vessels were cleared and declared safe by the Bureau of Quarantine during mandatory inspections,” PCG said.
The Philippines so far has no confirmed case of 2019-nCoV, though the Department of Health is still investigating the cases of 24 persons showing symptoms of respiratory illness, most of whom are Chinese nationals.