2 Chinese nationals arrested after trying to enter Cebu amid entry ban

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police in Ginatilan town, southwest Cebu have apprehended two Chinese nationals who attempted to enter Cebu from Negros Oriental on board a pump boat today, Thursday (March 19, 2020).

Police Colonel Roderick Mariano, director of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), confirmed this to members of the media.

Citing reports from the Ginatilan Police Station, Mariano said the police already transported the foreigners to a nearby quarantine facility for the mandatory 14-day isolation.

Mariano said residents in Ginatilan reported to barangay officials when they saw a pump boat that docked in the town’s shoreline.

“It was the barangay officials who then told the police about the incident. They are aware of the ban of incoming passengers in Cebu province,” said Mariano.

However, he said the police in Ginatilan were not able to take into questioning the operators and owners of the boat, after residents told investigators they immediately sailed back to Negros Oriental.

The Cebu Provincial Government banned the entry of all inbound passengers from all domestic destinations for 30 days, starting March 17, 2020, as part of the mitigation measures to minimize the risk of transmission of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Both Cebu and Negros Oriental have reported their first case of COVID-19 in March. The number of patients infected with COVID-19 in the country has reached 202 as of March 19, 2020, while the death toll now stands at 17.

The Department of Health (DOH) also logged 7 patients who fully recovered from the disease while they are monitoring over 3,000 individuals suspected of contracting the virus./RCG