GENERAL SANTOS CITY –– Health authorities have cleared a Chinese national here of being a potential carrier of the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV) after going through a mandatory 14-day quarantine at his home.
The person, a resident of this city for the last four years, arrived on Jan. 23 from China’s Wuhan City, epicenter of the nCoV epidemic. He was there for the Spring Festival.
In an advisory, Dr. Rochelle Oco, acting City Health Office chief, said the Chinese national, who runs a business here, showed no signs of illness during the duration of the quarantine.
Experts said nCoV symptoms like coughing, colds and fever, manifest within two to 14 days of infection.
The advisory explained that the duration of the quarantine is in accordance with the protocol set by the Department of Health.
The city has been placed under a state of calamity to heighten its precautionary measures against the spread of the virus here.
Local leaders have also banned the entry of foreigners from countries and territories with nCoV infections./lzb