SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) reported on Friday night that a patient under investigation (PUI) for possible coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is confined in an isolation facility at the Baypointe Hospital and Medical Center complex here.
The information said the PUI is a foreign national with a recent history of travel to the United Kingdom and is exhibiting such symptoms as fever, cough, colds, and diarrhea.
The SBMA Public Health and Safety Department is coordinating with concerned parties, including Le Charme Hotel where the patient had checked in, for contact-tracing.
Le Charme said it has arranged for the disinfection of its property and the isolation of personnel who have had contact with the patient.
The SBMA noted that monitoring of the PUI continues. In case of a confirmed Covid-19 case, the patient will be transferred to the Jose B. Lingad Hospital in Pampanga or any referral hospital to be recommended by the Bureau of Quarantine.
“Everybody is advised to take precautionary measures, especially social distancing, and personal hygiene to protect us against the coronavirus disease. Let us keep the Subic Bay Freeport safe,” SBMA chairman and administrator Wilma Eisma said in a statement.
To ensure public safety within the freeport, Eisma said the SBMA has adopted various measures to contain the possible spread of the highly contagious disease.
These include the cancellation of all events scheduled in March in all SBMA-owned facilities, strict enforcement of border controls, and the implementation of a four-day work-week.
She also said the SBMA has adopted a one-door policy in all its buildings to ensure enforcement of protocols on sanitation and screening of symptoms and the online submission by clients of all documentary requirements instead of paper submissions.
“We urge everybody to take all necessary actions to guard against the spread of Covid-19 in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Let us observe health safety practices, proper hygiene, and the one-meter social distancing rule,” Eisma added. (PNA)
