Senate, House observe protocols vs coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines — Senators will observe stricter protocols for visitors amid the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV) scare, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said yesterday.

Sotto said the upper chamber would issue a memorandum to guide the senators, their respective staff and Senate employees.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the senators agreed to implement protocols on visitation as a precautionary measure.

Zubiri noted that more than 100 poor patients in need of medical assistance visit the Senate building in Pasay City every day.

Dozens of officials from government and private institutions also visit the Senate to attend hearings.

The committee on health chaired by Sen. Bong Go conducted a hearing yesterday on the government’s preparedness against the viral illness.

Go said they would like to find out if government agencies, including the Department of Health (DOH) and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines have taken measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano advised his colleagues and employees of the House of Representatives to avoid foreign travels, particularly to countries affected by nCoV. 

“Defer travel to countries with documented cases of nCoV,” read a portion of the memorandum signed by House secretary general Jose Luis Montales. 

Among these countries are Australia, China, Cambodia, Canada, France, Finland, Germany, Japan, Korea, India, Italy, Hong Kong, Nepal, Macau, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Montales said those who have travelled abroad were advised to undergo self quarantine for 14 days.

“Those who did not travel to foreign countries, but are sick should consult a doctor and stay home,” he said.

A medical clearance should be secured from the clinic of the House of Representatives or other medical facilities before reporting back to work. 

NBI ready to help

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) can help trace persons who may have been exposed to two Chinese confirmed to have contracted the virus, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said yesterday.

Guevarra ordered the NBI to assist the DOH in tracing those who may have had interaction with the Chinese couple.

So far, the two Chinese from Wuhan City, China are the only confirmed nCoV cases in the Philippines.

One of them, a 44-year-old, died on Saturday due to severe pneumonia -- the first recorded nCoV death outside China.

Guevarra also directed the NBI to summon persons who disseminate fake news about nCoV.

Face masks

Hoarding and panic buying should be blamed for the shortage of face masks, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.

 “People tend to buy more than what they needed whenever there is available supply,” Nograles said.

Medical supply stores and pharmacies have ran out of surgical and N95 masks since the DOH confirmed that a Chinese confined at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila was infected with nCoV. 

Nograles urged the public to avoid purchasing too much face masks.

The Philippine-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCCI) yesterday donated 20,000 pieces of face masks to the Southern Police District and the Pasay city government.

PCCCI secretary general Ko Beng Sum said this is their way to express their “concern for the Filipino people.”

The face masks will be used by policemen in southern Metro Manila and employees of the Pasay city hall as protection against nCoV.