Garcia issues EO to lay down protocols to be followed in the ports of Cebu
Fastcrafts bound for Southern Leyte returned to Passenger Terminal 1 in Cebu City because of the presence of huge waves in the waters off Bohol and Cebu provinces. | CDN FILE PHOTO
CEBU CITY, Philippines -The ban imposed on persons suspected with the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) will now include those arriving and leaving the different ports of Cebu.
Executive Order No. 5 which Governor Gwendolyn Garcia signed Thursday night, February 6, 2020, said that passengers who show symptoms of the 2019-nCoV ARD will not be allowed to board or disembark from sea vessels as a precautionary measure against the possible spread of the infection.
Garcia furnished copies of her EO to the media on Friday.
Read: 150 Filipinos from China return via Cebu airport
The EO also directs port management teams in Cebu to furnish the Department of Health (DOH) copies of the Passenger Personal Detail Form (PPDF) that will be filled up by the concerned passengers themselves. The PPDF is similar to the health declaration checklist issued to passengers arriving at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
Garcia’s EO also required all sea ports in Cebu province to make thermal guns available for use.
The EO’s addendum also lays down guidelines for cargo vessels that are bound for the different ports in Cebu. It includes the imposition of ban against vessels coming from or those that have travelled to China and its Special Administrative Regions (SARs) in the last 14 days unless these are boarded by quarantine officials.
Vessels with crew member suspected of having the virus will also have to identify a dedicated quarantine anchorage that is located a few meters away from the nearest port.
Read: Gov. Gwen signs executive order laying down the guidelines for home quarantine
The 60-year-old Chinese woman, who was the third confirmed case of the 2019 n-CoV ARD in the country arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on January 20. The tourist then boarded a fastcraft at the Passenger Terminal 1 in Cebu that was bound for Tagbilaran City in the neighboring Bohol province.
The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) said that all of Cebu City’s passenger terminals can accommodate an average of 8,000 passengers daily.
READ THE EO’S FULL CONTENT HERE:
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