Airport authorities prep MCIA for temporary travel ban of visitors from whole of China
Passengers line up at the immigration booths at Terminal 2 of the Mactan Cebu International Airport. | CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — There will be a designated isolated area for Filipino citizens and residents coming from mainland China in Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) as the airport’s officials starts implementing the temporary travel ban of visitors from the whole of China.
This is just some of the measures the MCIA placed in line with the Philippine government’s decision to expand travel restrictions from Hubei province to other regions in mainland China, including its Special Administrative Regions — Hong Kong and Macau.
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In a statement published on February 2, airport authorities announced all Filipino citizens and permanent residents in the country would be required to be quarantined for 14 days, and would be placed in a designated isolated area for observation.
“The entry ban exempts Filipino citizens and permanent residents in the country but requires them to be quarantined for 14 days. In response, the MCIA has already designated an isolated holding area for these passengers who are allowed to disembark. This holding facility is closed off to non-essential airport employees and is connected to a separate bus bay to ensure proper handling and transport of the quarantined passengers, in line with the required stringent quarantine procedures,” MCIA said.
Read more: Here’s what you need to know on MCIA’s precautionary measures amid threat of 2019-nCoV
They also said they were coordinating with government agencies, and management from other airports such as the Manila International Airport Authority of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to ensure that all flights operating directly between Cebu and several areas in mainland China would be aware of the “the new directive and would take appropriate action to minimize disruption to its inbound and outbound flights.”
“The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is now coordinating with relevant agencies in implementing the government-ordered temporary travel ban covering all travelers from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau as a precaution against the threat of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV),” added MCIA.
Several airline companies serve direct flights between Cebu and several cities and regions in China such as Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, Jinjiang, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Chengdu. /dbs
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