Gov’t forming small Cabinet cluster to address novel coronavirus menace
MANILA, Philippines—A small Cabinet cluster will be formed and dedicated to addressing the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) scare in the Philippines.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the cluster will be composed of the departments of Health, Trade and Finance, together with the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).
“Binubuo na po namin especially siguro dahil kailangan na natin na gumawa nung mga more regular bulletins or information doon sa mga nagtatanong tungkol sa n-CoV,” Nograles said in an interview over state-run Radyo Pilipinas.
(We’re forming the small cluster especially now that we need a more regular bulletin or information dissemination about nCoV.)
Aside from ensuring the safety of the Filipinos, the inter-agency body will also look into the possible effects of the outbreak on tourism, study possible sources of funds to finance government response, and establish a program to assist affected industries, the Palace official explained.
The DOH has reported three confirmed cases of the new coronavirus strain in the country. The first two patients were a Chinese couple who traveled to the country from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak.
Article continues after this advertisementThe man died on Feb. 1, the first nCoV death outside China.
Article continues after this advertisementThe third case, meanwhile, is a 60-year-old Chinese woman who arrived in Cebu City from Wuhan via Hong Kong on January 20.
As of Sunday, Health officials are currently monitoring 284 patients for suspected nCoV infection.
Meanwhile, two Filipinos were reported to have contracted the virus in the United Arab Emirates and Japan.
Nograles assured that the Department of Foreign Affairs is taking steps to extend assistance to the two Filipinos.
Thirty Filipinos were repatriated to the Philippines from the Chinese province of Hubei on Sunday.
They, along with two consulate staff, will be quarantined for 14 days at the New Clark City Athletes’ Village in Capas, Tarlac.
The total number of deaths in mainland China is now at 908. Two other patients expired in the Philippines and Hong Kong.
The global number of confirmed coronavirus now exceeds 40,000, with reported infection in over two dozen countries worldwide, the vast majority of which came from mainland China.
