Senator Imee Marcos stressed that the Philippine government must move on from a belated travel ban and think up more comprehensive measures to stop the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the country.

Marcos said that government directives must now cover social interaction beyond the country’s points of entry because infected persons may have already slipped in before the travel ban was imposed.

Marcos issued the statement after the government’s inter-agency task force officially announced a ban on the entry of all nationals who have been to mainland China and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau, except Filipinos and permanent resident visa holders who will instead undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

“There’s no OA (overacting) when it comes to health and the life of a persom. Ang mga dating pwedeng pagpilian na gawin dapat ay mahigpit nang ipatupad ngayon,” said Marcos, chair of the Senate economic affairs committee.

Marcos likewise proposed to extend random temperature checks by nurses or trained personnel at the entrances of court offices, conference venues, and even meeting rooms; to install dispensers of antiseptic hand sanitizers not just in toilets but also along hallways and other strategic places; and to require the use of face masks by frontline, public desk, service, and utility personnel.

Marcos said that government must assess events daily, even hourly, and determine if compulsory leaves of absence may have to be imposed in schools, health care centers and other places especially where children and the elderly converge, since they are considered most vulnerable to the virus.

Sketchy government advisories before the travel ban have led airlines, universities, call centers and other offices to resort to their own restrictions, Marcos said.

She said the government must also start assessing the economic impact of the ongoing epidemic on trade and tourism in the country and take necessary action to minimize its effects.

Amid fear and uncertainty over the true extent of the viral epidemic, various countries have imposed bans on travel to and from China, disregarding the World Health Organization’s praise for China’s aggressive efforts to stem the spread of the 2109-nCoV virus and a caveat that travel and trade restrictions were not necessary.

Marcos noted that Singapore was able to gain headway in its fight against the virus by imposing a travel ban January 23, one week before the WHO declared the 2019-nCoV outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. / Stacy Ang