MEASURES VS. CORONAVIRUS. General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera (right) leads the inspection of the prevention and control measures put in place at the international airport against the deadly novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Accompanying the mayor are acting city health officer Dr. Rochelle Oco (center) and City Administrator Arnel Zapatos. (Photo courtesy of the city government)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The local government here assured Monday that necessary measures are in place at the city's seaport and airport to prevent the entry of the deadly novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) acute respiratory disease.
Mayor Ronnel Rivera gave the assurance as he inspected the monitoring and prevention measures being implemented at the Makar port and the city international airport against the possible spread of the disease.
Rivera specifically assessed the efforts undertaken by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) in coordination with the City Health Office (CHO) and the Department of Health’s Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).
Rivera said the three agencies are obliged to report suspected cases of 2019-nCoV and install the necessary medical equipment.
He said they should also equip their personnel, including the officers, with full information about the virus and the effective control measures.
As a precaution, all assigned frontline personnel should wear the prescribed protective masks at all times, he said.
The mayor said the CHO and BOQ have put in place strict health monitoring procedures, especially body temperature tests for people entering the ports of entries. He said they also provided sanitizers at the entrances and comfort rooms of the seaport and the airport.
“This is to ensure public safety, particularly of the seafarers and airline passengers,” he said in a statement.
Last Friday, the city government activated a special task force to monitor and implement control measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, including the 2019-nCoV.
Dubbed Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases, it was created based on an executive order issued by Rivera in the wake of the nationwide alert against the disease.
Dr. Ali Agama, head of the BOQ station here, advised the public to remain calm and reiterated that the city remains free from the disease. (PNA)
