Foreign passengers who arrived at Terminal 2 of the MCIA on February 6, 2020 from a long haul flight originating at Dubai queue as BOQ personnel examine their health declaration checklist. CDN Digital Photo | Morexette Marie Erram
CEBU CITY, Philippines–A total of 150 Filipinos who returned from China and its special administrative regions (SAR) arrived at Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) from February 2 to February 6, 2020, data from airport authorities show.
88 Filipinos returned to the country via Cebu on February 2; 17 on February 3; 27 on February 4; 10 on February 5; and eight on February 6.
At a press conference on Thursday, February 6, MCIA Authority general manager, lawyer Steve Dicdican, said no more than 10 were transferred to designated quarantine facilities since they were not residing in Cebu.
Dicdican said most Filipino passengers were residents in Cebu, and placed under home quarantine.
MCIA has implemented a complete no-contact measure between Filipino passengers, and staff and guests at the airport.
All Filipinos returning from China are placed in a designated holding area at Terminal 2 before transported to their respective quarantine facilities or to their homes, where they will be placed under home quarantine or self quarantine.
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Relatives or friends who will meet them there will be briefed by officials from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).
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MCIA observed a decline in air and passenger traffic from China since President Rodrigo Duterte implemented a temporary travel ban there, including Hong Kong and Macau to prevent the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the Philippines.
They are also anticipating cancellation of at least 306 flights to and from China due to the travel restrictions imposed.
No foreign passengers who have been to China and its SARs for the past 14 days are allowed to disembark from the airplane at MCIA, and will be returned to their point of origin.
Despite these measures and events, MCIA officials assured the public that there are no disruptions in their regular operations. /bmjo
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