ILOILO City – An estimated 2,000 tourists in Boracay Island are being monitored for possible novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection. But the task is overwhelming, according to the local government unit of Malay, Aklan which has jurisdiction over Boracay. It does not have the logistics.
Most of these “persons under monitoring” (PUMs) are Chinese nationals and staying in various hotels in the world-famous island, according to Catherine Fulgencio, Malay’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief.
She appealed for help from the Department of Health (DOH) Western Visayas during yesterday’s meeting of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council here.
According to Fulgencio, these 2,000 PUMs are what remain of the 5,400 tourists who entered Boracay since Jan. 20, 2019 prior to the Jan. 24 order of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) suspending all airline operations between the Chinese city of Wuhan – epicenter of the nCoV outbreak – and any destination in the Philippines.
The Kalibo International Airport had six direct flights weekly to Wuhan City and vice versa operated by two airlines – Pan Pacific Airlines and Royal Air Charter.
A day before CAB issued the suspension order, the airport on Jan. 23 received a flight from Wuhan, according to Engineer Eusebio Monserate, airport manager.
Fulgencio said the Municipal Health Office of Malay is having a hard time monitoring the 2,000 PUMs.
“They are billeted in various tourism accommodation establishments. It would be better if these establishments have safety officers or medical teams regularly reporting to us the health status of the PUMs, if these tourists manifest flu-like symptoms,” she said.
The virus causes severe acute respiratory infection and symptoms usually start with a fever, followed by a dry cough.
According to DOH-6 director Marlyn Convocar, the local government of Malay could tap for the PUMs’ monitoring the 168 “human resources for health” personnel that the regional health office assigned to Aklan; 78 of them are nurses.
Barangay health emergency response teams may also be utilized, Convocar added.
It was unclear while this was being written, whoever, if the three barangays composing Boracay – Yapak, Bulabog and Manoc-Manoc – have functional barangay health emergency response teams.
Fulgencio lamented, too, that some of the tourism accommodation establishments were reluctant to cooperate with Malay health authorities.
“Probably indi pa gid clear sa ila kon ano ang role nila when it comes to nCoV monitoring,” she said.
Fulgencio also expressed concern over signs of Sinophobia in Boracay due to the nCoV.
Chinese nationals are the top foreign visitors in Boracay. Last year the island was visited by 434,175 Chinese tourists – 41.84 percent of the total 1,032,619 foreigners that visited Boracay.
Local residents or domestic tourists appeared to be avoiding Chinese nationals, said Fulgencio, and even the PUMs themselves appeared hesitant to be interviewed regarding their health and travel history, among others.
Fulgencio revealed one case – a hotel staff panicked and abruptly left after one Chinese client coughed. Offended, the Chinese national and other clients bolted out of the hotel.
Where will these PUMs stay if they have nowhere else to go, asked Fulgencio.
One option is to make the Aklan Training Center a holding area but the center has a capacity of only 200 individuals, said Fulgencio.
“If we could change the mindset of the hotel owners, they (PUMs) can still stay in the hotels para ma-monitor ang ila temperature everyday in the next 14 days,” said Convocar.
Barangay health emergency response teams can discreetly check the PUMs in hotels, she said.
“Once fever or any other health issues are detected, the hotel management must immediately be informed. If we can do this, there is no need to make the Aklan Training Center a holding area for the PUMs,” said Convcar.
Interestingly, the 2,000 Boracay PUMs were not included in the DOH Region 6 list it disclosed on Monday, Feb. 3. It only reported seven PUMs on top of the eight persons under investigation (PUI).
PUMs are those with a history of travel or history of contact with a known confirmed case but do not manifest signs and symptoms.
If one has a history of travel and has close contact with one who is positive for nCoV and manifest fever, cough and cold, he or she is considered a PUI./PN
