Suspend int’l flights at Iloilo Airport – Defensor

BY IAN PAUL CORDERO and IME SORNITO

ILOILO City – Fearing a possible entry of people from China and elsewhere infected with the novel coronavirus, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. called for a temporary suspension of international flights (to and from Hong Kong and Singapore) at the Iloilo Airport.

Defensor formally made known his request to Cebu Pacific Air through a letter.

“May we respectfully request for your voluntary cessation of international flights to and from the countries positive for the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) immediately,” read part of Defensor’s letter addressed to Leah Vallido, operation manager of Cebu Pacific Air at the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan, Iloilo.

There is no direct Iloilo-China flights but Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, and Singapore have confirmed cases of infection from the virus which has an ongoing outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Yesterday afternoon, the Department of Health confirmed the country’s first case – a Chinese woman tourist from Wuhan currently confined at a hospital in Manila.

Replying to Defensor, Vallido stated that her airline is ready to suspend international flights and that the governor’s request has been forwarded to their central office in Manila.

At the Iloilo Airport, only Cebu Pacific has international flights. The Philippine Airlines has none.

“We are worried. I asked for the suspension of international flights kay ti daw wala sa poder ko ang mag-lockdown. I’m coordinating with national government kon ano plano naton,” said Defensor.

He will be meeting mayors today and discuss more measures.

Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas, in a text message to Defensor, expressed support to the governor.

Last week, joining the rest of the world in heightening measures to prevent the spread of the new corovirus from China, the Iloilo Airport started screening passengers arriving from Hong Kong and Singapore for fever and flu symptoms.

According to Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Iloilo Airport terminal supervisor Arthur Parreño, his agency tightened medical quarantine protocols.

Bureau of Quarantine personnel have been posted on Aerobridge 3, the designated passageway of passengers arriving from Hong Kong and Singapore.

The thermal scanner has also been activated to detect passengers with fever – one of the symptoms of those infected with the new coronavirus known also as 2019-nCoV.

“Feverish passengers would be ushered to an isolation room,” said Parreño.

Hospital authorities would be contacted for an ambulance that would take the passengers to the hospital for further examination.

“The suspected cases won’t be passing the passenger terminal but through the ramp in going to the waiting ambulance,” Parreño stressed.

The CAAP-Iloilo chief said his office is also waiting an order from their central office for the possible free distribution of face masks at the airport./PN