THE Iloilo Provincial Government has ordered the monitoring of persons with travel history from South Korea following the surge of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the East Asia country.
Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. issued Executive Order 28-A on February 26, 2020 to further strengthen quarantine procedures and other prevention and control measures against Covid-19.
He said "persons in the Province of Iloilo travelling from South Korea shall be assessed pursuant to the Covid-19 Decision Tool." They may be classified as persons under monitoring (PUMs) or persons under investigation (PUIs) and may be quarantined.
Defensor said there is a need to immediately act on the matter following the radical spread of the virus in South Korea, which is similar to the situation in China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
South Korea now recorded roughly 1,500 coronavirus infections, the largest outbreak outside of China.
"The situation in South Korea places it on the same category as China (inclusive Hong Kong and Macau), and therefore demands similar treatment of persons traveling therefrom...," Defensor said.
Meanwhile, the City and Provincial Government jointly canceled a religious gathering "Run for Jesus" in La Paz district scheduled on February 27, where South Korean delegates were supposed to participate.
It was reported that an unconfirmed number of Koreans already arrived in Iloilo.
Furthermore, the Philippine government has banned all travels to and from North Gyeongsang Province where Daegu City, the virus' hotbed, is located. (PR)