DOH to assess COVID-19 risks in Macau, Hong Kong in reviewing travel ban

MANILA, Philippines — After the Philippine government lifted the travel ban to and from Taiwan, the Department of Health (DOH) is now conducting a risk assessment of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on China’s special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Monday that the department needs to set parameters including the number of cases of infection and if there is local transmission in these regions. He said the government also has to consider the number of overseas Filipino workers there.

“Ating bubusisiin ‘yung kanilang containment protocols, kahandaan, preventive measures, lahat po ito bubusisiin natin ngayong araw para bukas makapagbigay po tayo ng rekomendasyon kung ito ba ay ipapatuloy ‘yung ban or alisin sa travel ban,” he said in an interview with DZMM.

(We will study today their containment protocols, readiness, and preventive measures so that tomorrow we will be able to recommend whether or not the travel ban should be lifted.)

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on February 14 decided to lift the travel restrictions in Taiwan, after it was initially included in the travel ban ordered on February 2 by President Rodrigo Duterte in mainland China, Macau, and Hong Kong.

The lifting of the ban followed the request of Taiwan, which said it was “wrongly included” in the travel restriction.

Data from the World Health Organization showed that as of Sunday, 56 and 10 cases have been recorded in Hong Kong and Macao, respectively.

The death toll due to the viral infection jumped to over 1,700 globally, mostly in mainland China, including five people in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, France, and Taiwan. More than 71,000 people have been infected.