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AKLAN, Philippines – A multi-agency task force has put in place strict and intensified border checkpoints when entering Boracay Island in an effort to prevent the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus.
Acting Malay town mayor Frolibar Bautista asked law enforcement agencies and health personnel to enforce travel restrictions on visitors who have recently travelled to China, Macau and Hong Kong.
There are no longer direct flights from Wuhan, China and other cities in mainland China to Kalibo International Airport, but authorities will continue to expand health screenings of travelers, not only in local airports.
In Executive Order No. 004 series of 2020 issued on Thursday, February 6, Bautista suspended the entry of all travelers with travel history from China and its special administrative regions for the past 14 days.
The Philippine National Police, Philippine Army, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of Quarantine are also directed to coordinate with the Malay Municipal Health Office (MHO) and Municipal Tourism Office to check incoming travellers at Malay’s seaports, airport and roads.
What to expect. On February 7, Friday, 3 border checkpoints, located within the two kilometer radius of Caticlan port, were set up in the barangays of Union (Nabas) and Caticlan (Malay) near Nabas-Malay boundary, in barangay Dumlog in mainland Malay and Sitio Bacolod in Barangay Caticlan to monitor and identify people who may have coronavirus symptoms.
The new measure to operate border checkpoints in all entry points to Malay, Aklan and Boracay Island would be the first line of defense against individuals who experienced flu-like symptoms of the contagious disease.
Meanwhile, Foreigners and local tourists arriving through Kalibo and Caticlan airports, northern Antique and Iloilo, ports of Caticlan and Alegria (Buruanga) via roll-on, roll-off vessels from Batangas and Mindoro, and motorized pumpboats from Romblon would also be screened for signs of fever and cough.
Aside from this, handheld thermometers were also operational in border checkpoints where inbound travelers to Boracay Island would be required to present their passports for verification. Health personnel and law enforcers were also wearing surgical face masks for their protection.
If a traveller shows symptoms, MHO workers will perform a more detailed medical assessment, and the traveler is taken to a hospital for further care.
No coronavirus cases. So far, there have been no reported coronavirus cases in Malay, Aklan and Boracay Island, according to task force deputy information manager Madel Joy Tayco.
The local task force on coronavirus said some 180 persons were under monitoring (PUMS) in Boracay Island as of February 7.
MHO and the task force have been cooperating closely with hotels and establishments to ensure public safety and health of residents and other visitors, and have been keeping a close watch on PUMs in the island.
Tayco also reiterated the importance of proper hygiene and hand washing to prevent infection of coronavirus which has caused deaths and illnesses worldwide. – Rappler.com
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