PH Coast Guard issues guidelines on nCoV

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday issued guidelines for its personnel after the Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed the country’s first case of novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV.

PCG commandant Adm. Joel Garcia has imposed the strict implementation of guidelines and preventive measures for PCG port state control officers, the PCG said in a statement.

The guidelines are applicable to those performing port state control functions including vessel boarding procedures.

It shall be followed before and after boarding a suspected vessel that came from any country with reported cases of nCoV, based on their port of origin or last port call for the last 14 days, the PCG said.

The guidelines include: avoiding close contact between port state control officers and ship’s crew; wearing personal protective equipment; immediate reporting if any of the ship’s crew is found to have developed any sign of flu during the boarding procedure; advising the ship’s crew to limit unnecessary movement outside the vessel, among others.