MANDATORY QUARANTINE. Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on Monday (March 9, 2020) briefs the local media on the decision of the province's task force on the coronavirus to include passengers from Italy and Iran in the 14-day mandatory quarantine. Starting on March 11, passengers from the two countries can choose to go on quarantine in identified government facilities or at home. (Photo courtesy of Cebu Capitol PIO)
CEBU CITY – Cebu’s provincial task force on the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) will include passengers from Italy and Iran in the mandatory 14-day quarantine starting on Wednesday to prevent the entry of the disease into Cebu.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said on Monday she would issue another executive order (EO) to include in the quarantine protocol all passengers arriving at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport from the two countries.
This came after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 24 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Philippines and after President Rodrigo Duterte placed the country under a state of public health emergency.
Garcia, who called for another emergency meeting with the province’s multi-sectoral task force on Monday afternoon, said the EO that she would sign would take effect on March 11 to give airlines, and embassy and consulate offices time to disseminate the information.
The grace period, she said, was enough to give due warning to those who would wish to come to Cebu that they would be placed under a mandatory 14-day quarantine once they arrive here.
The passengers, however, will have a choice whether to go on a 14-day quarantine in identified government quarantine facilities or home quarantine or take the next flight back to their port of origin.
In a press conference following the emergency meeting, Garcia said she also reminded the front-liners to strictly implement the protocols for international flights, domestic flights, and cargo and passenger vessels that were contained in the previous EO she issued.
“As far as our international flights are concerned, we already are observing our very strict protocol of seeing to it that Filipinos arriving from international flights coming from Hong Kong, Macau, China, as well as Daegu (South Korea) shall immediately be subjected to a 14-day quarantine period. We will add further those that have come in or have passed by Iran or Italy for the last 15 days,” she said.
As of March 9, a total of 7,375 Covid-19 cases were reported in Italy, with 366 deaths, or an average of 4.9 or 5 percent deaths, while 6,566 cases were reported in Iran, with 194 deaths.
“There is local transmission naman gud (right now). That is why we have to be very vigilant here in Cebu,” Garcia said during the press conference. “At the same time, I asked everyone to stay calm. It does not help if we panic. That’s not going to scare away the virus if you panic. It will just create another virus – the panic virus. So let us stay calm.”
Cebu’s provincial government will also spend for the production and printing of health forms that the airlines, maritime, health, and quarantine officials will issue for the passengers of both international and domestic flights and sea vessels to fill up.
“In the health declaration form, if it can be seen that they have passed these countries, they will be immediately subject(ed) to a 14-day quarantine. The Bureau of Immigration will be the second line of defense. They will be examining the passports and what is stamped in there will indicate whether or not they have visited these two countries,” Garcia said.
She urged passengers to faithfully and honestly fill up the health declaration form so health authorities could gather each passenger’s exact travel history.
Garcia said a passenger who would not declare exact data on the health form would be penalized with a PHP5,000 fine or imprisonment for one year, or both, as stated in Provincial Ordinance 2020-02 on the Coronavirus Disease.
Despite the number of deaths in Italy and Iran, she said she would not impose a travel ban, noting that it is beyond her power.
“Remember, we are not banning because I cannot ban. From the very start, I think we are the very first local government to call for a multi-sectoral assembly in order to find ways and means in which we would be able to control the entry of coronavirus (to) Cebu. I think I was the first to suggest the 14-day quarantine for those at that time would be arriving from China,” Garcia said. (PNA)
