Labella calls coordination meeting to address novel coronavirus

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City currently has two cases of suspected 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) being monitored in two of its major hospitals.

This is the third suspected case of Wuhan coronavirus in Cebu City since January 20, 2020.

Alarmed by these incidents, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said he will be meeting with Bureau of Quarantine, Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7), the administrators of the major hospitals in the city, and the Cebu City Health to discuss intensified measures against the virus quickly spreading in China.

The coordination meeting will be held on Friday, January 30, 2020 at the Cebu City Hall.

The mayor said the city is now preparing for the ban on the entry of Chinese tourists in the city should the national government agencies such as the DOH and the Bureau of Immigration will order such.

Considering the threat, Labella said he will also be writing to the Bureau of Immigration to ban the Chinese tourists in Cebu City.

“I may request the Bureau of Immigration to ban Chinese tourists especially from Wuhan City to enter our city,” he said in a phone interview.

The Bureau of Immigration has already canceled all visas to the Philippines issued to Chinese nationals to prevent them from entering the country, but they have not issued a direct ban of Chinese tourists in the country.

Tourists from China who are not from Wuhan City, the source of the novel coronavirus, can still roam in any parts of the country. This is why Labella called for a coordination meeting to assess the situation in Cebu City and if a total ban of Chinese tourists would be necessary.

He said he needs to consult the authorities regarding the matter so all agencies will have close coordination.

“If there are suspected cases, all agencies must be well coordinated. There should be quick coordination,” said the mayor. /rcg