Returning Filipinos from cruise ship will be quarantined anew -- Duque
By Noreen Jazul
Filipinos from the M/V Diamond Princess cruise ship will be quarantined anew once repatriated back to the Philippines.
A man in protective gear speaks on the phone near the Diamond Princess cruise ship in quarantine due to fears of the new COVID-19 coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on February 19, 2020.(Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said another 14-day quarantine is needed since the Filipinos aboard the cruise ship had "exposure" to the 2019 novel coronavirus.
"Kailangan ...para sigurado tayo. Kahit na na quarantine na, hindi mo masasabi mula nung ni release sa hospital kasi di naman natin alam itong virus na ito kung pwedeng bumalik, kung may immunity ba," Duque told DZMM Thursday.
(We still need to quarantine them...just to make sure. Even if they were already quarantine, we'll never know whether they'll be or can still be infected once they are released from the hospital. We still don't know much about the disease. We don't know if it can be reacquired or if the person who acquired the disease becomes immune once they recover.)
Duque said he would rather have the Filipino crew quarantined in the country than inside the ship.
"I qu-quarantine ulit sila ng dalawang linggo, alam ko sa loob pa rin ng barko. Kaya sabi kong ganon, eh mahirap yan pag sa loob ulit ng barko kasi may exposure," he said.
(From what I know, the crew will be quartined again for two weeks insisde the ship. But that will only make the situation worse, and will give the crew more exposure to the virus.)
The health secretary also said he was opposed to Japan's move to quarantine the crew and passengers inside the ship.
"Di kami sang-ayon don," he said. (I don't think it was the best move)
On Tuesday, Japan annoucned that it has finished testing all passengers and crew for the disease.
Read more:Â Japan completes virus testing for quarantined ship
The following day, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. ordered the immediate repartition of the Filipinos aboard the cruise ship.
Read more:Â Locsin orders immediate repatriation of Filipinos on Diamond Princess cruise ship
A man in protective gear speaks on the phone near the Diamond Princess cruise ship in quarantine due to fears of the new COVID-19 coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama on February 19, 2020.(Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said another 14-day quarantine is needed since the Filipinos aboard the cruise ship had "exposure" to the 2019 novel coronavirus.
"Kailangan ...para sigurado tayo. Kahit na na quarantine na, hindi mo masasabi mula nung ni release sa hospital kasi di naman natin alam itong virus na ito kung pwedeng bumalik, kung may immunity ba," Duque told DZMM Thursday.
(We still need to quarantine them...just to make sure. Even if they were already quarantine, we'll never know whether they'll be or can still be infected once they are released from the hospital. We still don't know much about the disease. We don't know if it can be reacquired or if the person who acquired the disease becomes immune once they recover.)
Duque said he would rather have the Filipino crew quarantined in the country than inside the ship.
"I qu-quarantine ulit sila ng dalawang linggo, alam ko sa loob pa rin ng barko. Kaya sabi kong ganon, eh mahirap yan pag sa loob ulit ng barko kasi may exposure," he said.
(From what I know, the crew will be quartined again for two weeks insisde the ship. But that will only make the situation worse, and will give the crew more exposure to the virus.)
The health secretary also said he was opposed to Japan's move to quarantine the crew and passengers inside the ship.
"Di kami sang-ayon don," he said. (I don't think it was the best move)
On Tuesday, Japan annoucned that it has finished testing all passengers and crew for the disease.
Read more:Â Japan completes virus testing for quarantined ship
The following day, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. ordered the immediate repartition of the Filipinos aboard the cruise ship.
Read more:Â Locsin orders immediate repatriation of Filipinos on Diamond Princess cruise ship