Flights from China, Taiwan continue at Laoag airport

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — Flights from China and Taiwan continue at the Laoag International Airport, but health authorities gave assurances that they are imposing strict procedures to avoid the entry of passengers carrying the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus.

Renato Orlanda, local immigration chief, said flights from Kaoshiung, Taiwan and Guangzhou, China arrive here thrice weekly — on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Ilocos Norte Gov. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. recently cancelled flights from Hong Kong due to mounting SARS cases in the Chinese special administrative region.

Air Philippines used to operate three chartered flights weekly on the Manila-Laoag-Hong Kong route and vice-versa. Orlanda could not say when these flights would be resumed.

Orlanda said the management of Fort Ilocandia requested that these flights be stopped due to the SARS scare.

"Even though their income went down (because of the decline in the number of tourists), they prefer to avoid being infected with the disease," he said.

Health authorities have tightened quarantine procedures for passengers at the Laoag airport, particularly those coming from SARS-affected countries.

Most of the foreigners go to the Fort Ilocandia Resort and Casino for vacation and recreation.

No single SARS case has been reported in the province since the Department of Health has put the strict quarantine procedures in place.

Operating the China flights is the China Southern Airlines, and the Taiwan flights, the Far Eastern Airlines. Domestic carriers flying here are Asian Spirit, Chemtrad Aviation and Air Philippines.