Clark Airport readies arrival areas for Filipinos returning from China

CLARK FREEPORT –– As a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the private consortium operating the Clark International Airport (CRK) here will not use the main passenger terminal for the arrival of Filipinos from China on Saturday here, an official said on Thursday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday said some Filipinos from Wuhan City in China are scheduled to arrive at CRK on Saturday and would be transferred to a quarantine site being prepared by the government.

Wuhan City is the epicenter of the nCoV outbreak in December.

The CRK management assured the public that it is exercising all necessary precautions to protect all other passengers traveling via Clark.

“The said repatriates will not arrive in the main passenger terminal, but instead, a separate area away from the terminal will be used for this purpose,” Teri Flores, Lipad corporate communications officer, said in a statement sent to The INQUIRER.

As of 10 a.m. on Thursday, Lipad, the Bureau of Quarantine, the Bureau of Immigration, the Bureau of Customs, and the Philippine Air Force have yet to receive final instructions about the handling of the Saturday flight.

“CRK is prepared to put together the necessary arrangements as soon as we get the directive from the government regarding this event. As of today, all agencies present in the meeting are still waiting for final instructions from their superiors,” Flores said.

Edited by Lzb