Foreign tourists trapped by COVID-19 quarantine shuttled out of Puerto Galera
SAN PEDRO CITY—Foreign tourists, seeking to fly out of the country amid the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine, were being ferried off tourist islands on chartered boats and vans, after going through thermal screenings at the sea port.
On Wednesday (March 18) , at least 30 Russian tourists from Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro arrived at the Batangas port, where a van would be taking them straight to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for their flights.
Another batch of 16 British divers, who happened to be vacationing in the tourist town before President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the quarantine, were set to leave the country, on Thursday (March 19).
Commodore Leovigildo Panopio, Coast Guard district commander in Southern Tagalog, said he believed the British tourists would be the last foreigners to leave Puerto Galera. “I have a letter from their embassy,” he said.
Foreigners scrambled to leave the country after the government announced it was locking down Luzon airports and gave tourists a 72-hour window to leave.
But also on Wednesday, the Department of Transportation allowed international flights to proceed anytime during the quarantine period.
Panopio said the foreigners are screened at every port they use. If the foreigners had symptoms of COVID-19, he said “I don’t think the airlines will allow them to board.”
He said the van driver hired to bring them to NAIA would drop them off only just a few hours before their flight to minimize waiting time and reduce the risk of exposure.
Cargo ships docking and leaving the Batangas port would also undergo strict inspections.
These included sea vessels headed to Mindoro provinces and to Caticlan on Panay island to deliver goods.
Passenger trips have been cancelled after island provinces in South Luzon barred entry of foreign and local visistors.
Panopio said vessels would be allowed to unload only cargo but not passengers.
Cargo vessels were also required to return immediately to their ports of origin.
Edited by TSB
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