SELF-QUARANTINE. Dr. Lalaine Calonzo (in photo), disease surveillance head of the General Santos City Health Office, confirms during the city council’s regular session on Tuesday that they are closely monitoring a Chinese national who traveled last month to Wuhan City in China for possible novel coronavirus or nCoV infection. She said the male foreigner, who went to Wuhan for the Chinese New Year holidays and arrived in the city last Jan. 23, is currently undergoing self-quarantine and has not shown any symptoms of the disease. (File photo courtesy of the GenSan City government)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Health personnel here are closely monitoring a Chinese national who traveled last month to Wuhan City in China for possible infection caused by the deadly novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV).
Dr. Lalaine Calonzo, disease surveillance officer of the City Health Office (CHO), said Tuesday the male foreigner is currently undergoing self-quarantine and has not so far showed any symptom of the disease.
“(He) is now on the 12th day of self-quarantine and remains under the close watch of the CHO,” she said during the city council regular session.
Calonzo said the “person under monitoring” is a businessman from mainland China who had long been staying in the city.
She said the latter reportedly traveled to Wuhan for the Chinese New Year holidays and arrived in the city last January 23.
Due to the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV in Wuhan City, the official said the foreigner immediately submitted himself to local health personnel after arrival and volunteered to undergo self-quarantine.
She said the patient is still under the monitoring stage and no tests have been made yet in connection with the disease.
Calonzo said the CHO is currently on high alert for the possible spread of the 2019-nCoV and various measures have been adopted to prevent its entry in the city.
She said they are closely coordinating with the Department of Health to ensure the proper surveillance and implementation of control measures against the disease.
The official said the city’s three biggest private hospitals -- the St. Elizabeth, General Santos Doctors and Mindanao Medical Center -- have established isolation rooms for possible 2019-nCoV patients. (PNA)
