LAPU-LAPU City’s tourism commission will call a meeting with hotel, resort and restaurant operators to discuss preventive measures against possible cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Lapu-Lapu City Tourism Officer Hembler Mendoza said he will discuss this with the Hotel Resort and Restaurants Association in Cebu (HRRAC) so they can prepare for the possible health issue without compromising their operations.
Mendoza said Koreans comprise 40 percent of all foreign tourists coming to Lapu-Lapu City.
South Korea is dealing with an outbreak of MERS, which is being closely watched by the World Health Organization.
Many South Koreans stay and study in schools in Lapu-Lapu City and neighboring cities of Cebu and Mandaue. They also do business in Lapu-Lapu City and most often visit their relatives in South Korea.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza called on the Bureau of Quarantine to step up its monitoring of passengers arriving from countries plagued by MERS.
She said she learned that the Mactan Cebu International airport is installing additional thermal detectors to examine incoming passengers.
Lapu-Lapu City’s Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) passed a resolution calling on the city’s health office to conduct an information campaign on MERS so people know how avoid contracting the virus.
“God forbid, if somebody tests positive of MERS-COV here in Lapu-Lapu City, it will cause panic. What should people do? Better for them to know),” said Lapu-Lapu City ABC president Jose Dungog, a registered nurse.