Philippine Airlines has confirmed that the Chinese woman who tested positive for the novel coronavirus has taken flight PR 2542 from Dumaguete to Manila on January 25, 2020.
“We are cooperating fully with the DOH and the Bureau of Quarantine in the process of contacting passengers on the said flight, in accordance with established safety protocols for dealing with a case of this nature. We have provided the BOQ with the necessary flight manifest data accordingly,” the airline said in a statement.
READ MORE: Duterte orders ban on travelers from Hubei, China
PAL said that the Bureau of Quarantine will take charge of placing the concerned passengers and crew under medical observation.
“We are also working to trace any onward journeys made by these passengers and crew on other flights, in case there is a need for BOQ to contact other people for precautionary medical observation,” PAL added in a statement.
PAL said that they have placed the flight crew (two pilots and four cabin crew) on quarantine.
The airline also ensures a more intensive cleaning and disinfection process for the aircraft that they use on routes to and from China.
“We are assigning specific aircraft to be used only on the China routes, and arranging to park aircraft at designated remote areas of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport,” the statement added.
Read PAL’s full statement below:
PAL ADVlSORY / January 31, 2020
The Department of Health has determined that a 38-year-old Chinese lady is confirmed to be positive for the novel Coronavirus (nCoV). We acknowledge that the person concerned was a passenger on our flight PR 2542 from Dumaguete to Manila on January 25, 2020.
We are cooperating fully with the DOH and the Bureau of Quarantine in the process of contacting passengers on the said flight, in accordance with established safety protocols for dealing with a case of this nature. We have provided the BOQ with the necessary flight manifest data accordingly.
The BOQ will take charge of placing the concerned passengers and crew under medical observation. These passengers will be guided on the next steps. We are also working to trace any onward journeys made by these passengers and crew on other flights, in case there is a need for BOQ to contact other people for precautionary medical observation.
We have placed the flight crew (two pilots and four cabin crew) on quarantine. SAFEGUARDS AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES PAL IS UNDERTAKING We reaffirm Philippine Airlines’ constant readiness to promote the safety of our passengers and crew in compliance with the highest international public health standards. In concert with the health authorities, robust preventive measures are in place to protect our passengers, including:
1. Thorough disinfection of aircraft – We ensure a more intensive cleaning and disinfection process for the aircraft that we use on routes to and from China, in addition to the regular daily disinfection measures that we take for our entire fleet and on all routes. As much as possible, we are assigning specific aircraft to be used only on the China routes, and arranging to park aircraft at designated remote areas of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
2. Filtering of the cabin air – All our aircraft are equipped with special HEPA filters and air circulation systems that constantly refresh the air on board and have been proven to protectively filter and protect against most coronaviruses. As a result, the cabin air environment is considered safer than other public spaces with no special filtration systems.
3. Thermal scanning of all arriving passengers, coupled with screening measures at key departure airports – In addition to the systems installed by the Philippine Bureau of Quarantine and foreign health agencies in major airports, we are pro-actively contributing thermal scanners for deployment at all domestic airports that we serve which may not yet have the latest facilities.
4. Wearing of face masks by cabin crew and provision of face masks to passengers, on request. We shall also be adjusting the inflight service on China flights, to promote passenger health and safety.
5. Continued information campaign at the airports and on board our flights to promote sensible safety practices for travelers.
6. Coordinated system of reporting of any medical concerns, in collaboration with the concerned health authorities and the Philippine Bureau of Quarantine. MAINLAND CHINA FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS AND REDUCTIONS In the public interest, beginning February 1st, 2020, we are reducing our flights between Manila and mainland China by more than 50%.
There is a need to maintain a number of our flights on the various Manila-China routes, so that we can serve the urgent travel needs of our passengers, including many Chinese nationals returning to the mainland following their Lunar New Year holidays, and Filipinos who are returning home from their stays in China.
Nonetheless, we will further reduce our China flights in the coming weeks, based on our daily assessment of the situation and subject to guidelines and instructions from the DOH/BOQ and concerned government authorities. We will post the list of cancelled flights accordingly. (These reductions are in addition to the recent cancellation of all our charter flights from China.) FOR THE PUBLIC’S INFORMATION We are taking active guidance from the government authorities and international health experts to ensure the effectiveness of our prevention and mitigation measures.
We comply with any restrictions imposed by governments for certain categories of travelers, including restrictions announced by the Governor of Cebu. In particular, we have already been implementing a strict policy of not accepting passengers from the Hubei province of China. In our long tradition of public service over the last 78 years, we at Philippine Airlines recognize our solemn duty to the flying public, over and above our normal business interests.
Rest assured that we will always hold your safety as our top priority, our top priority is the safety of the flying public and our flight and cabin crew. Thank you.
