A lawmaker is criticizing government agencies for allowing direct flights from Wuhan City, China to the Philippines amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
Agusan del Norte Representative Lawrence Fortun urged authorities to become more strict in imposing safety protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Why were we still allowing flights from Wuhan to land in the Philippines in the first place? Why did we have to wait for their announcement of lockdown before deciding to prohibit entry of flights coming from a place already confirmed to be the epicenter of the outbreak of a fatal virus that has turned epidemic?,” Fortun said.
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Almost 500 Chinese tourists were sent back to Wuhan City after they arrived in the country recently.
“And now, we have to send at least 500 travelers back? And that is not even a decision reached by our authorities, but the airlines?” he added.
Fortun added that the government shouldn’t have waited for the lockdown and decided on its own to suspend flights.
“When circumstances already warrant action, we need not wait for another announcement of lockdown before considering bans of flights from these places,” Fortun added.
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