The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is adopting stringent prevention measures against the deadly Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) encompassing all PPA-controlled ports nationwide after the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the first nCoV case Thursday, PPA said in its release.
PPA General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago has directed all port managers to double the measures from general thermal scanning to individual checks if a passenger reaches a certain body temperature level.
As early as the first report of an outbreak in China involving the nCoV, the agency has immediately put into place frontline defense against the possible entry of the virus in the country via the ports.
Digital and traditional visual advisories on how to prevent or avoid contraction of the virus are likewise being posted in conspicuous places inside and outside the ports.
The ports with high concentration of passengers and tourists include the North Harbor in Manila, Batangas, Mindoro, Bohol, Davao, Palawan, Zamboanga, Bicol, among others.
The measures being adopted by the PPA is in line with the earlier pronouncements of the Department of Transportation to reduce the risk of virus contamination via the ports.
The travel ban issued by Malacañang early Friday is also a welcome development in guarding the ports, Santiago added.