CAAP airports on heightened alert vs. coronavirus

FILE: HEIGHTENED ALERT. Philippine airports such as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are on heightened alert to guard the country against the coronavirus threat. Photo shows one of the two new thermal scanners at NAIA Terminal 1, which is used to detect arriving passengers with high fever. (PNA file photo by Cristina Arayata)

MANILA — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Wednesday ordered tighter screening measures to all international airports it manages, due to the threat of coronavirus spreading in China and with reportedly confirmed cases in some countries.

In the Philippines, a five-year old boy from China who arrived in Cebu last January 12, was confirmed to have an unknown strain of coronavirus.

The CAAP ordered the reactivation of “communicable disease preparedness procedures” to the international airports it manages in Puerto Princesa, General Santos, Zamboanga, Davao, Kalibo, Laoag, and Iloilo.

“These procedures are preparedness measures in accordance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines. Quarantine and screening procedures are usual routines in our airports, but the heightened procedures are reactivated depending on necessity, like the current situation when there is possibility that the virus might enter the country,” CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said in a message.

Arriving passengers are closely monitored, especially in Kalibo where there is a direct flight from Wuhan, China.

The “mysterious illness” that is currently being referred to as “Wuhan coronavirus” started spreading in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, China.

As of Wednesday, there are more than 400 reported confirmed cases of this coronavirus across China.

CAAP also advised airport personnel to wear masks and observe proper hygiene to prevent contracting the virus.

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), meanwhile, has been implementing stricter monitoring of arriving passengers, especially those from China.

The country’s main gateway accepts an average of 18 flights from China.

NAIA has two new thermal scanners each at Terminals 1, 2 and 3, to better detect passengers with high-grade fever.