Philippines ban citizens from travelling to South Korea amid coronavirus outbreak

The Philippines has imposed restrictions on travellers from South Korea and barred Filipinos from touring to the East Asian nations amid novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The partial ban was placed on South Korea’s North Gyeongsang, one of the most impacted regions from coronavirus, confirmed reports.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo told the media that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease approved the instructions to bar travellers coming from the North Gyeongsang province of South Korea effective immediately. He further added that the government was going to conduct a risk assessment in order to determine whether the ban must extend to the rest of South Korea. He said that the evaluation should be effective within 48 hours.

Reports suggest that South Korea has the largest number of confirmed cases impacted by the pathogen outside mainland China. The new confirmed coronavirus cases stand at 115, soaring the total to an alarming 1,261, confirmed Korea’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Amongst the cases announced earlier, the United States military stationed at South Korea declared one of AMerican soldier infected.

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Concerned about safety of Filipino abroad

Philippines presidential spokesperson confirmed in the media reports that permanent residents, those that left the Philippines for education abroad, and overseas Filipino labourers would be exempted from the travel restrictions. He further added that the safety and security of the Filipino abroad was the government’s primary concern, as the country’s welfare was utmostly important. He said that it was his foremost duty as a concerned official to update about the coronavirus containment efforts.

Philipines airlifted its nationals from the Wuhan City of China in Hubei province on the chartered flight arranged by the foreign affairs and health departments. The country evacuated at least twenty-nine adults and an infant from Wuhan in planes that landed at Clark Air Base, located about 40 miles northwest of the capital, Manila earlier this month, confirmed reports.

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