Taiwan included in flight ban — DoH
TAIWAN is included in the Philippine’s flight ban list, Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique C. Domingo said on Monday.
He made the clarification after Health Undersecretary Gerardo V. Bayugo said in an earlier briefing on the same day that the government was considering adding Taiwan to the travel ban that is already in effect for China and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau.
Taiwan has so far 17 confirmed coronavirus cases and over 1,000 people under observation.
Globally, there are over 40,000 cases and more than 900 deaths, mostly in China, according to the World Health Organization.
With Taiwan covered under the ban, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III said around 120,000 overseas Filipino workers there will be affected.
Meanwhile, four more Filipinos aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship tested positive for the coronavirus, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed yesterday.
This brings the number of affected Filipinos to five since the cruise ship, docked in Yokohama, Japan, was placed under quarantine.
“They are now being treated in hospitals in Japan,” the DFA said in a statement.
“The Embassy is closely coordinating with Japanese authorities, and is in constant communication with the Filipinos still onboard, to provide them all possible assistance.”
Reuters reported that as of Monday, 60 more cases on the ship have been confirmed, bringing the total to 130.
There are around 3,700 passengers and crew members onboard, of whom 538 are Filipinos. — Gillian M. Cortez and Charmaine A. Tadalan
