THE Philippine Coast Guard-Negros Occidental (PCG) is strictly monitoring all vessels originating from China that are docking in the province as part of the precautions against the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
PCG-Negros Occidental chief Jansen Benjamin said that a vessel from China arrived in San Carlos City Wednesday, February 5, was advised to stay at the anchorage area subject to inspection and quarantine in coordination with the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).
Lieutenant Commander Benjamin said the vessel’s crew have already coordinated with the BOQ and they will be directed to the anchorage area of the port first while awaiting inspection.
“In the event that there is a suspected nCoV case in the vessel, there will be no disembarkation and the crew will immediately be placed on quarantine,” Benjamin said.
Benjamin added, if such an event occurs, they will immediately send a health official to the vessel in question to take a sample and forward it to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine for confirmation.
Benjamin said that even before the 2019-nCoV issue, the PCG is actively implementing Quarantine Immigration Customs Safety and Security Inspections (QICSSI) on all foreign vessels.
Benjamin added that before a foreign vessel will be allowed to dock in any part of the country, they will first be redirected to the port’s anchorage area and await a boarding team from the PCG and an officer from the BOQ.
Once the quarantine official finds no health issues among the crew and the vessel itself, he will issue an advisory allowing the vessel to dock.
Benjamin, however, pointed out that because of the nCoV issue, they have implemented stricter monitoring of foreign vessels, especially those originating from China.
Meanwhile, as for local vessels especially those operating passenger services, Benjamin said they are implementing information dissemination.
Benjamin said PCG personnel in coordination with the Philippine Ports Authority are actively encouraging passengers to practice proper hygiene in order to combat the virus. (TDE)