By Gabriela Baron
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) on Thursday suspended all flights from Wuhan to the Philippines due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus that has already killed 17 people in China.
Passengers wearing face masks who arrived from Guangzhou, China lineup for immigration at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines (Ali Vicoy / MANILA BULLETIN)
"The suspension of flights from Wuhan to the Philippines would be the first step, continue to monitor the situation, coordination with the Department of Health," CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla said in a press briefing.
Arcilla also said CAB has asked airlines to begin using standard and recommended practices on dealing with outbreaks.
"We ask airlines to monitor with vigilance. The flight attendants are required to be vigilant in terms of detecting passengers that have symptoms of flu or virus or fever."
The new virus, which first emerged at the end of December, has also sickened over 570 people in China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and the United States.