THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed Tuesday, January 28, that several Chinese nationals have arrived in Manila on board two ships.
Both ships have been cleared by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), the PCG said in a statement.
One vessel is Chinese cargo ship MV Ligulao, which came from Lianyungang, Jiangsu in China, about 900 kilometers away from Wuhan City, the center of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak.
The ship, which is manned by 20 crew members, arrived at Pier 15, South Harbor on Monday. It is scheduled to leave on Wednesday afternoon, January 29, 2020.
The second vessel is the World Dream cruise ship with 778 passengers. This ship is scheduled to leave for Subic Bay Tuesday.
In a statement, the PCG said the cargo ship's crew have not left their vessel because they don't have shore passes.
Passengers of the cruise ship, on the other hand, were allowed to get off the ship after they were cleared by the BOQ.
“Upon coordinating with the PCG port state control officers at Pier 15, they confirmed that both vessels were cleared and declared safe by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) during mandatory inspection,” the PCG said in a statement.
The country is on alert against the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), a coronavirus strain that has killed 106 people as of Tuesday.
Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday that there were 11 patients under investigation for the 2019-nCoV in the country. (SunStar Philippines)