PH must now focus on tracking suspected nCoV carriers — Pangilinan

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. INQUIRER.net file photo / CATHY MIRANDA

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Pangilinan on Sunday said the government must now focus on tracking suspected carriers of the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV.

This comes after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the expansion of his initial temporary travel ban which now covers visitors from mainland China and its special administrative regions, Macau and Hong Kong.

“Now we can effectively focus our efforts on tracking all those who are suspected of being carriers and work on quarantine and isolation,” Pangilinan said in a statement.

While lamenting that the imposition of the widespread ban could have come much earlier, Pangilinan said, “better late than never.”

“We welcome the total travel ban in order to prevent the spread of the disease,” Pangilinan said.

“How we wish it came much earlier as hundreds of possible carriers have been able to enter the country in the last several days but better late than never,” the senator added.

Under Duterte’s order, any person, regardless of nationality, directly coming from China and its special administrative regions—namely Hong Kong and Macau—are banned from the entering the country.

Any person, regardless of nationality, who within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines has been to China and its special administrative regions, are also covered by the ban.

The ban, however, does not cover Filipino citizens and holders of permanent resident visas issued by the Philippine government.

Filipinos and holders of permanent resident visas coming  from any place in China and its special administrative regions shall undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The health department on Sunday confirmed the second case of nCoV in the country—a 44-year-old Chinese man who was a companion of the 38-year-old woman who was the first confirmed case of the disease in the country.

The Chinese man, however, died on Saturday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is the first reported nCoV-related death outside China.