Pinoys returning from China via Cebu are placed under quarantine or self-quarantine
Dr. Terence Bermejo, Bureau of Quarantine Central Visayas chief, says they are implementing quarantine measures for returning Filipinos from China via the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA). | Screengrab from CDN Video
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Quarantine and self-quarantine measures are now underway as authorities recorded close to 100 Filipino residents returning from China to the Philippines via Cebu.
Central Visayas’ Department of Health (DOH -7) and Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ-7) said they had started processing returning Filipinos to undergo quarantine and self-quarantine or home quarantine.
Data collected by CDN Digital from various related government agencies showed that a total of 99 Filipino passengers flew back to the Philippines, and arrived in Cebu since February 2.
The first batch of returning Filipinos, 79 of them, arrived at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on February 2, via multiple flights coming from several cities and territories in China including Hong Kong and Macau.
The second batch, made up of 20 passengers from two separate flights from Hong Kong, arrived on February 3.
For the second batch, 10 of them arrived at the MCIA at 11 a.m. while the rest arrived at 6 p.m.
Read more: MCIA: 79 Pinoys who arrived from China on Feb. 2 under self quarantine
Dr. Terence Anthony Bermejo, BOQ-7 chief, said the first batch of Filipinos, who arrived at Mactan, were placed under home quarantine.
Bermejo said the BOQ and DOH head offices were still ironing out protocols for implementing quarantine at that time.
It can also be recalled that President Rodrigo Duterte expanded travel restrictions to the whole of China on February 2.
In an earlier press conference, airport officials from MCIA explained that flights to Cebu from areas outside Hubei province in China were still underway when President Duterte announced the expanded temporary travel ban.
Home Quarantine
Meanwhile, Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-7 director, said 4 Filipino passengers from the second batch were being processed for a 14-day quarantine in an undisclosed DOH-ran facility.
Bernadas said 6 from the second batch were placed under home quarantine since they were residing in Cebu.
Read more: Gwen: Home quarantine not yet an option for Pinoy passengers arriving at MCIA from China
“In implementing home quarantine or self-quarantine, family members of these passengers are requested not to share their utensils, ensure they don’t go out of the house for 14 days, and closely monitor if they display any symptoms indicating illness,” Bernadas said in Cebuano.
The DOH-7 director also said a local health official would be assisting and monitoring those on home quarantine daily.
“We have secured the addresses of those who will be placed under home quarantine from their flight manifestos,” he added.
Bermejo, on the other hand, said they were still compiling the flight information of the 10 other returning Filipinos from the second batch as of 3 p.m./dbs
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