Youngest quarantined patient recorded in Cordillera

BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — Two of the country’s youngest patients under investigation (PUIs) for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are in the Cordillera, with the inclusion of a 10-month-old baby girl whose plane had to land in Taiwan for a layover on its way to Manila, the Department of Health (DOH) said here on Wednesday.

The girl, who flew in with her mother from Australia was among the four Cordillera patients under quarantine, said Dr. Amelita Pangilinan, the DOH Cordillera director.

A 2-year-old child, who was among the first Cordillera PUI, had tested negative for the new coronavirus and had been discharged along with four other patients, according to the DOH.

The nine recorded PUI in the Cordillera since the start of February had histories of overseas travel, Pangilinan said. Among them were three patients in Baguio, three in Abra province, two in Benguet province and one patient in Mountain Province.

They showed slight symptoms of respiratory ailments and were immediately confined as a precaution against the spread of the disease.

New schedules

The discharge of the five patients bolstered the city government’s decision to proceed next month with crowd-drawing activities originally scheduled in February, including the Baguio Flower Festival, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said a news briefing.

The postponed festival and other events led to a loss of P10 million in canceled hotel bookings. In Camp John Hay alone, cancellations cost the John Hay Manor and Forest Lodge up to P2 million in the weeks when the coronavirus scare discouraged travel.

Some of the canceled reservations were made by guests of Texas Instruments Philippines Inc. and airplane-parts manufacturer Moog Controls Philippines.

But Magalong said the organizers must enforce strict health protocols because the activities have been lumped together in the last weeks of March.The 25th Panagbenga flower festival begins with a new opening parade on March 21 to be participated in by street dancers from various grade schools.

This is followed by the grand street dancing on March 28 and the grand float parade on March 29. In between the Panagbenga events, over 7,000 school athletes and their coaches will compete in the Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic meet that was rescheduled to March 24.

The city will also host various conventions next month as well as the Ronda Pilipinas on March 2.

The festival’s final activity is a weeklong street bazaar called Session Road in Bloom which starts on March 30. This will be followed by Holy Week, another traditional peak tourist week for the city.

The homecoming of the Philippine Military Academy has been moved from Feb. 13 to 15 to Feb. 22.

“It’s not the best time for tourism because of the COVID scare, so tourist towns should start major cleanup operations or examine their tourism management programs during the lull in tourist traffic,” said Jovita Ganongan, director of the Department of Tourism in Cordillera.