THE Philippine National Police (PNP) is preparing to mobilize over a hundred personnel trained in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) to assist in the repatriation of Filipinos from China.
As of Monday, February 3, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella said 40 Filipinos in Hubei, China have expressed their desire to go home.
Hubei province, particularly Wuhan City, is the epicenter of an acute respiratory disease outbreak caused by the zoonotic 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
PNP Chief Archie Gamboa said on Monday that there are a total of 105 CBRNE personnel from the Special Action Force, PNP Health Service, Crime Laboratory and Explosives and Ordnance Division-K9 unit. They are ready for deployment.
"The Philippine National Police has made available a team of CBRNE-trained medical personnel from the PNP Health Service who may be deployed to assist concerned agencies in the repatriation of Filipinos based in China and other countries affected by the 2019-nCoV ARD who will wish to return to the country subject to mandatory quarantine procedure," Gamboa said.
If they are brought home from China, the Filipinos will be quarantined for 14 days, which is believed to be the incubation period for the disease.
Gamboa said the doctors from the PNP Health Service may also help the concerned government agencies in conducting the mandatory quarantine procedures.
"The PNP will help but we're just presenting na meron kaming ganitong pwersa whom they can use," Gamboa said.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the mobilization of an Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to prevent the spread of the virus.
He also ordered a ban on travelers coming from mainland China and its special administrative regions, Macau and Hongkong.
Two Chinese nationals who arrived in the country on January 21 tested positive for the 2019-nCoV. One of them, a 44-year-old male, died while undergoing treatment at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.
To prevent the spread of the virus, Gamboa said he has directed all Regional and National Support Unit directors to make available face masks for all PNP personnel and assure the availability of hand sanitizers in all PNP offices and facilities.
He said the PNP is also studying the possibility of implementing temporary lockdown on all its training facilities including the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) and the National Training Police Institute (NPTI).
Gamboa said this is to ensure the safety and protection of cadets and trainees in these facilities. He said the matter will be done in coordination with the DOH.
"As I have said, we are considering kasi nga kailangan talagang ng assessment ng experts. You just do not execute something kasi we also have to balance. It might create panic or we might be overreacting so dapat evidence-based kumbaga. So kung ni-recommend ng DOH that it is necessary then we will do so but only upon careful study because it also has a lot of implications once you decide on doing something," he said.
"Basically, kapag sinabing lockdown, denial of entry of other persons other than those who are supposed to be assigned on duty doon sa lugar na 'yun,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)