By Hannah Torregoza Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go vowed on Thursday to look into the government's readiness to face the threat of the novel coronavirus now that health authorities have confirmed the first case in the Philippines. Sec. Bong Go 
(SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO/ MANILA BULLETIN) "As chairperson of the Senate committee on health, we will conduct a hearing on the matter on February 4. We will invite representatives from all concerned agencies, especially from DOH, DFA and airport officials," Go said in a statement. "Our priority is to lay down measures to help ensure the safety of Filipinos." He also said President Duterte has no decision yet on proposals to ban Chinese nationals from entering the Philippines. "Sa ngayon, wala pa pong desisyon ang ating Pangulo na i-ban yung pagpasok ng lahat ng Chinese nationals kasi hindi lang naman po ang China ang tinamaan ng virus na ito. May ibang bansa rin po na tinamaan (For now, the President has no decision yet on whether to ban the entry of Chinese nationals because China is not the only country hit by the virus. There are other countries that were also affected)," Go said. "It will not be proper if we will single out on China alone." He said, however, that he is in agreement with the Department of Health (DOH) and "we will recommend, if necessary, to impose temporary restrictions of travel for those from the entire province of Hubei while assessing if there is a need to add to the list with travel restrictions more places affected by the infection." But as part of the precautionary efforts, he said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had earlier halted the issuance of visas-on-arrival to Chinese nationals. "The DFA also eventually temporarily stopped the issuance of visas to travelers from Hubei province altogether," Go said. At the same time, he urged authorities concerned to strictly impose precautionary measures to protect Filipinos by implementing quarantine procedures and providing regular advisories to guide the public. "Let us not panic, but at the same time, let us take the threat seriously and cooperate with authorities in order to ensure the safety of Filipinos," Go said.