MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Railways (PNR) has suspended work from Thursday until Saturday to give way for “cleaning and disinfecting” of its Executive Building as cases of COVID-19 in the country has increased.
In an advisory, PNR said it would stop work from March 12 up to March 14, “In adherence to the protocols set by the DOH [Department of Health].”
But PNR spokesperson Jo Geronimo said its train operations would not be covered by the advisory. She said train services would continue despite the work stoppage at the PNR office.
As of March 11, DOH reported confirming 49 cases of COVID-19 in the country. Two of the confirmed cases already died with the latest death reported on Wednesday night – Patient No. 35 or “PH 35”, a 67-year-old Filipino female confined at the Manila Doctors Hospital.
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that was first recorded in China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province in December 2019.
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.
The novel coronavirus causes respiratory symptoms including fever and cough but it can also cause serious illnesses such as pneumonia especially to older adults and people with existing health issues.
The coronavirus is a family of viruses that have surfaces with a crown-like appearance. The viruses are named for the spikes on their surfaces.