Duterte faces acid test in nCoV crisis

POSTSCRIPT - Federico D. Pascual Jr.(The Philippine Star) -

February 4, 2020 - 12:00am

A nervous nation wonders if and when President Duterte will emerge from his
weekend break to preside over a crisis meeting called belatedly to plot moves
to nip the spread of the deadly novel Coronavirus (nCoV) four days after the
Philippines recorded its first case.

The epidemic, described by the World Health Organization as a global

emergency, has given the Duterte administration the distinction of recording
the first death outside China where the contagion started in December in
Wuhan, Hubei province.

The lone local fatality was a 44-year-old male Chinese who died on Feb. 1. He
was the traveling companion of a 38-year-old Chinese woman, who arrived
from Wuhan on Jan. 21 from Hong Kong.

Duterte is under pressure to fend off accusations that his response to the
public health crisis has not been proactive enough, allegedly slowed down by
his being overly careful not to offend China with, say, a travel ban.

As we write this, we still have to receive reports of President Duterte coming

out of his reported rest and addressing the nation to assure Filipinos of
resolute well-studied measures to contain the creeping nCoV epidemic.

The acute respiratory disease outbreak has put Duterte to the test. He is seen
as not proactive enough, slow to react to emergencies, as well as more
concerned about not displeasing Chinese than looking after the welfare of
Filipinos.
When the death toll mounted in the region, mainly in Hubei, Duterte
downplayed the contagion. He hesitated to stop mainland Chinese flocking to
the Philippines even when it was clear that some of them could be
asymptomatic virus carriers.

It is jarring to see a national leader who mouths love of country putting fealty
to foreigners above concern for the safety and welfare of his people.

As we await word about his meeting the inter-agency task force on the nCoV
crisis – announced by Sen. Bong Go, the President’s occasional spokesman,
press secretary and photographer – we see a government strategy taking
shape that includes:

• The limited ban on foreigners arriving from Hubei has been made total to
cover all aliens who have been in mainland China, including the Special
Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, in the last 14 days.

• Filipinos and holders of permanent resident visas are exempted from the ban
but they have to undergo a 14-day quarantine during which they must stay
home, wear protective masks, observe precautionary measures and report
any symptom or sign of infection.

• Filipinos are banned, until a notice to the contrary when the crisis is over,
from traveling to China and its Special Administrative Regions.

In crowded urban centers, meanwhile, there is an air of unease over the

possible spread of the virus in public places such as malls, cinemas,
campuses, markets and restaurants. What is being done to reduce possible
contamination?

How do we protect people who take buses, light rail trains, taxis and UV
Express vehicles where passengers breathe the same confined air?
Contamination is likely if any of the passengers has the virus.

As the government started to enforce the ban, hundreds of foreigners, mostly

Chinese, were held at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals until
they could be flown back to their airports of origin.

The confusion amid the stranding of international travelers would have been
avoided or minimized if the ban were announced earlier and airports and
airlines informed in advance.
The question is also being asked if Filipinos and permanent alien residents
flying back to the Philippines from nCoV-free areas but are transiting through
China, Hong Kong or Macau will be covered by the ban and quarantine rule.

Travel to and from the Philippines transiting through any point in China will be
affected. Revising itineraries to exclude layovers or transit stops in China will
dampen the business of international airlines.

The repatriation and quarantine of travelers, including Filipinos in China, will

require the building or setting aside of adequate facilities and the training of
competent personnel to look after them. This will eat into the government
budget.

We are talking only of steps being taken by the Philippines. Some other
countries are taking their own public health countermeasures, including the
banning of travelers who have been to China in the past two weeks.

Issues over passengers transiting in China because of technical or market

requirements may have to be discussed industrywide. Should passengers
who are merely transiting (and not going outside the airport) in China be
exempted from the ban?

Once a Filipino on a multi-leg trip disembarks to take a connecting flight in

Hong Kong, for instance, will the ban apply because he has set foot on
Chinese soil even just for an hour or so in transit?

Plane personnel, including pilots and cabin crew, may require special
treatment, otherwise their situation would wreak havoc on airlines’ personnel
management.

Filipinos flying to or from Manila and the United States may be forced to fly
Philippine Airlines merely because PAL, unlike many of its competitors, has
long-haul flights across the Pacific (actually the polar route) without touching
any airport in-between.

Many airlines have suspended flights to China. Aside from complying with
government bans, the airlines actually have no choice because there have
been few passengers going to China after the nCoV outbreak. Why fly an
almost empty plane?