President Rodrigo Duterte agreed to implement a temporary travel ban for persons from Wuhan City and the entire Hubei province in China to the Philippines, Senator Bong Go said in a statement.
Senator Go said he raised the issue with Duterte with the intention of ending the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus.
“Nais ko pong ipaalam sa publiko na nakausap ko po si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte kanina at inirekomenda ko ang pag-impose ng temporary travel ban upang maprotektahan ang ating mga kababayan sa pagkalat ng Coronavirus. Sang-ayon po si Pangulo na iimplementa ang temporary travel ban sa mga manggagaling mula Wuhan city and the entire Hubei province ng China,” the senator said.
Wuhan is considered as the epicenter of the 2019 novel coronavirus that reportedly originated in an illegal wildlife market.
“The President and concerned government officials are also studying the possibility of imposing temporary travel restrictions for those coming from other places affected by the infection,” Go said, adding that a meeting is set next week with medical experts and key government officials next week to discuss all necessary measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“Rest assured that the Duterte administration takes this threat seriously. I am appealing to the public to cooperate with authorities in order to ensure the safety of everyone,” he also said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak as an international emergency.
The death toll from the deadly virus has risen to 213 while the number of infected has reached 9692.
READ MORE: BREAKING: 2019-nCov declared as global health emergency – WHO
