MANILA, Philippines — All Filipinos repatriated from the ground zero of the deadly novel coronavirus were “healthy,” the Department of Health said Monday, following safety concerns on the facility used as quarantine zone.
DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo said none of the 32 Filipinos flown home from China’s Hubei province exhibited symptoms of 2019-
nCoV since their arrival in the Philippines Sunday morning.
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“‘Yung
lahat
ng
pumunta
sa airport
wala
silang
tinurn away na
kahit
isang Filipino
dahil
lahat
ng
dumating ay
malusog,
walang
lagnat,
” Domingo said in an interview on radio
dzMM Monday.
(
No Filipino was turned away in [Wuhan] airport because all repatriates were healthy, they have no fever.)
He added: “During the flight na
tatlong oras,
chini-check sila
walang na-develop na
kahit
anong symptoms
hanggang
makab
aba sila
dito
sa Clark.”
(
They were checked during the three-hour flight. No one developed any symptoms until they arrived at Clark International Airport.)
The repatriates were transferred to the Athlete’s Village in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac for a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
“In the past 24 hours,
wala
pa pong
nire-report
sa
atin na
nagkaroon
ng
sakit,” Domingo said.
The Health official said
medical personnel will be deployed to allay the fears of communities surrounding New Clark City.
Capas Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan earlier lamented that the DOH did not involve the local government in its decision to use New Clark City as a quarantine zone for evacuees.
DOH and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, which has jurisdiction over NCC, stressed that necessary measures
were put in place to ensure the adjacent communities of NCC
are kept safe.
The death toll from the novel coronavirus reached 900 in mainland China, overtaking global fatalities in the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic.
The Philippines confirmed three cases, including one death—the first fatality outside mainland China.