MANILA, Philippines — House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Sunday urged the Department of Health (DOH) to work with local government units (LGUs) as well as congressmen in its information campaign on novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV.
Cayetano said the move would help communicate to the public timely information that are also easier to understand to avoid confusion and panic.
“We have social media to help inform us, but the information that we are sometimes getting are confusing because they are unverified and do not come from official channels,” Cayetano said in a statement.
“Magkakaroon ng tamang guidance ang ating mga kababayan patungkol sa nCov dahil reliable ang makukuha nilang impormasyon tungkol sa sakit na ito,” he added.
(Our countrymen will be properly guided on nCoV because the information they receive would be reliable.)
Furthermore, Cayetano said that the coordination between the LGUs and the health department would assure the public that the government is being transparent on the issue.
“The best way to control the spread of nCov is through prevention. If our countrymen have the correct information, then they can take the necessary measure to avoid contracting the virus and stay healthy,” Cayetano said.
There is currently one confirmed case of the virus in the country—a 38 Chinese woman from Wuhan who arrived in the Philippines on January 21 before seeking medical attention four days later.
The World Health Organization earlier declared global emergency over new coronavirus outbreak.
The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.
On Sunday, Senator Bong Go announced that President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to impose a temporary travel ban on travellers from mainland China as well as its special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau. — with report from Associated Press