Updated @ 12:02 a.m., Feb. 4, 2020
MANILA, Philippines — There’s still no need to establish or identify a quarantine site yet amid the 2019 novel-coronavirus scare (nCoV), President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday in a press briefing in Malacañang.
“Hindi pa ngayon. Dalawa lang ang namatay,” Duterte said.
[Not at the moment. Only two have died.]
A 44-year-old Chinese man who was confirmed as the country’s second nCoV case died last Saturday, Feb. 1, the DOH said.
READ: DOH confirms 2nd case of nCoV in PH, says patient died Saturday
Days before, on Wednesday, Jan. 29, another Chinese man, who was 29 years old, also died. But he was only a person under investigation for nCoV and died of pneumonia.
READ: Chinese under watch for novel coronavirus dies in San Lazaro Hospital
Duterte, however, said he had already given direction to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
“I have directed Secretary Duque here to prepare a space, a ward in our hospitals or a separate building, room, where we can house them. It’s still not needed, but I said we will prepare,” Duterte said, speaking partly in Filipino.
Caballo Island, which is part of Cavite on Manila Bay, and the Fort Magsaysay Drug Rehabilitation Center in Nueva Ecija are being eyed by the government as quarantine areas for returning overseas workers from Wuhan, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said.
READ: 2 military sites in Luzon eyed as quarantine areas for Filipinos from Wuhan
There are 80 patients under investigation for the novel coronavirus, DOH earlier reported.
READ: 80 patients now under investigation for new coronavirus – DOH
Meanwhile, more than 360 nCoV-infected people have died in China and more than 7,000 have been infected.
The President said he was likewise eyeing Fort Magsaysay as a quarantine area.
“That building is not used. Problem is, the governor doesn’t like it [to be used for quarantine]… That building is inside a national government reservation. It’s spacious,” Duterte said. “In times of emergency I can always… It is always confiscatory in nature. You confiscate. Then you make it a hospital.”
Apparently, he was referring to Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali.
According to the DOH, there are now 80 persons under investigation for possible infection of the virus.
/atm