Opposition welcomes expanded travel ban but laments delayed action vs nCoV threat
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the minority Liberal Party lamented what they said was a delayed reaction on the part of President Rodrigo Duterte in calling for a temporary ban on travelers from China amid a worldwide scare trigged by the novel coronavirus.
The second case of novel coronavirus in the Philippines was confirmed by the Department of Health on Sunday morning after the 44-year-old male companion of the first confirmed carrier of the virus, a 38-year-old woman, also tested positive for the virus.
The patient reportedly passed away on Saturday, marking the first recorded death caused by the virus outside of China. In his last few days, the man was reportedly "in stable condition" until his sickness worsened within 24 hours, on top of a history of severe pneumonia dating back to before he was admitted to the hospital, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said at a press briefing.
'Should have been sooner'
The president's first issuance on January 31 only placed restrictions on visitors from the Hubei Province in China, where the virus was said to have originated. It was only on Sunday morning that this suspension was extended to include mainland China as well as Hong Kong and Macau, where a bulk of the existing cases of the virus are.
"We assure the Filipino people that the directives issued by the president as well as the protocols being implemented as well as succeeding ones are all geared for the safety of our countrymen and will last until the danger of the dreaded disease has ceased," the Palace said of the suspension.
This came after earlier statements from both the Palace and the DOH, which both said that a travel suspension was not yet necessary and that such a move could damage diplomatic ties with China.
Vice President Leni Robredo on her radio show on Sunday backed the decision to suspend travel, saying it should have been made much earlier. "Yung temporary suspension, hindi ito pag-discriminate against anyone. Ang sinasabi natin ay yung mga flights galing doon ay grabe yung contamination," she said.
"Kung mas maaga lang nakapag-react sa temporary suspension sa mga lugar na mataas ang incidents ng contamination ng virus, mas hindi sana takot yung tao. Tingin ko nakapagdagdag pa ito sa takot ng lahat na patuloy pa rin ang mga flights galing China [at] kung naaga-agahan sana, mas nabawas yung panic ng mga tao. Obligasyon kasi namin na nasa pamahalaan na siguro i-assuage yung mga fears ng mga tao."
For his part, Sen. Francis Pangilinan said that an earlier suspension could have prevented the entry of potential carriers of the virus.
"We welcome the total travel ban in order to prevent the spread of the disease. How we wish it came much earlier as hundreds of possible carriers have been able to enter the country in the last several days but better late than never," he said in a statement.
"Now we can effectively focus our efforts on tracking all those who are suspected of being carriers and work on quarantine and isolation."
"Dapat mas decisive [at] mas swift. Dapat nga mas sympathetic tayo doon sa mga kumbaga in the line of fire," Robredo added.
Travel bans ineffective?
The World Health Organization, however, advises against the implementation of travel bans.
"Travel restrictions can cause more harm than good by hindering info-sharing, medical supply chains and harming economies," WHO said on Friday.
Pangilinan, Sens. Risa Hontiveros and Bong Go and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto were among those who called for an immediate travel suspension in the days leading up to the confirmation of the first novel coronavirus carrier in the country.
WHO Representative to the Philippines Rabindra Abeyasinghe urged people to remain calm amid the outbreak, saying, "This is the first reported death outside China. However, we need to take into mind that this is not a locally acquired case. This patient came from the epicenter of this outbreak."
At the same press conference, Duque also disclosed that the 44-year-old man would be cremated, taking care to emphasize that the two came from Wuhan, China via Hong Kong.
"We are currently working with the Chinese embassy to ensure the dignified management of the remains according to national and international standards to contain the disease," he said. China's National Health Commission on Saturday announced that the dead should be cremated rather than buried.
The DOH has not responded to Philstar.com's queries as to the status of the passengers on the flights the two were on.
As of this writing, the department has listed 36 total persons under investigation with 23 of them admitted.
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