Philippines might include Taiwan in virus travel ban
THE Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will discuss the possible inclusion of Taiwan in the travel ban imposed due to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV ) outbreak, a Department of Health (DoH) official said on Monday.
“A resolution will be released from the inter-agency task force for the inclusion of Taiwan in the travel ban, but it’s not yet final. It will still be discussed,” DoH undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said in a press briefing at Malacanang Presidential Palace.
President Rodrigo Duterte last week imposed a travel ban on foreign travellers from China, Hong Kong, and Macau to avoid the entry of the new coronavirus strain.
There have been 18 confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV in Taiwan with no fatalities.
Department of Labour and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said there are about 120,000 documented overseas Filipino workers Taiwan. But he noted that this figure may still rise up to 20,000 if undocumented workers are taken into account.
The DoH has reported three confirmed cases of the new coronavirus strain in the country. The first two cases were a Chinese couple who travelled to the country from Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the outbreak. The man died on February 1, the first 2019-nCoV death outside of China.
The third case, meanwhile, was a 60-year-old Chinese woman who arrived in Cebu city from Wuhan via Hong Kong on January 20.
The global death toll stands at 910 as of press time, with one death reported each in Hong Kong and the Philippines.
As of Sunday, the DoH is monitoring 284 patients for suspected 2019nCoV infection.