By Genalyn Kabiling  Filipinos staying in South Korea remain safe but must take health precautions amid the reported surge in the novel coronavirus cases in the Asian neighbor, government officials said Monday. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles
(SCREENSHOT / RTVM / FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) According to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, no Filipino has so far been infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in South Korea. "So far, ligtas pa naman (So far they are safe). And I think the South Korean government is also doing everything that they can to contain the epidemic and control the situation,” Nograles said in a Palace press briefing about the Filipinos in South Korea. "The DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the DOH (Department of Health) and DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) ay nakikipag-ugnayan sa ating mga counterparts doon sa South Korea para continuously ma-monitor natin iyong situation doon (The are coordinating with their counterparts in South Korea to continuously monitor the situation there)," he added. In the same Palace press briefing, Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire affirmed that no Filipino has tested positive for the coronavirus spreading in South Korea. "We do not have any Filipino yet positive for COVID–19. We have one in Singapore, we have two in UAE, and we have one in Hong Kong," she said. To avoid COVID-19 infection, the government has urged Filipinos in South Korea to observe precautions, including avoiding non-essential travel and crowded places. Eduardo Meñez, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said the Philippine embassy in Seoul has released an advisory to the Filipino communities to ensure their safety and health. "As far as movements of the Filipinos, kagaya ng mga advice sa mga ibang (like the advice given to) Filipino communities in other parts of the world, ay iyong lahat ng non-essential travel, kung puwede hong limitahan na lang po (all non-essential travel should be limited)," Meñez said in the same press conference at the Palace. "Huwag na ho sigurong dumalaw sa malalaking public gatherings. And of course, to maintain the health procedures like washing of hands and use of masks kung kailangan ho (They should also avoid large public gatherings as well as maintain health procedures like washing of hands and use of masks if needed)," he said. South Korea recently has been placed on highest alert for infectious diseases after recording a major spike in the cases of new coronavirus cases, which have reportedly risen to more than 600 in the past few days. Study on travel ban Nograles said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will discuss the situation in South Korea and study whether or not travel restrictions should be imposed. He said authorities are expected to look into the "exposure risk" to Filipinos working in South Korea as well as travelers arriving in the country. They will also look into the heath protocols put in place by South Korea to prevent potential virus carriers from entering or departing their territory, Nograles said. "Basically, it’s really an assurance from the South Korean government based on our health protocols and their health protocols. If makita naman natin na maganda naman ‘yung sistema at malaki ‘yung assurance na hindi magkahawaan (If we see the system is good and there is a big assurance there will be no contagion), then we will still have that comfort level," he said. "But if the comfort level is broken or we feel that there is a potential danger to public health dito sa ating bansa (in our country), then we will have to make a decision." The Philippines recently implemented travel restrictions on China, Macau, and Hong Kong as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus in the country. The travel ban to Macau and Hong Kong has been partially lifted when the government allowed Filipinos to return to their places of work.