By JEFFREY DAMICOG
The government is studying the possibility of including South Korea in its travel ban as part of efforts to contain the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said this will be discussed by Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IAFT-EID) after South Korea raised its disease alert to the highest level.
“That matter may be taken up at the next meeting of the task force on emerging infectious diseases,” said Guevarra.
On the other hand, the Secretary said the IAFT-EID has yet to schedule its next meeting.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) is a member of the tasks force which also includes the Department of Health (DoH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Defense (DND), and Department of Transportation (DOTr)
South Korea raised its alert level after the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 602.
Out of the cases, South Korea reported that five have already died.
On the other hand, 18 of the cases have already been discharged while 579 are still kept under isolation.
Earlier, the DFA advised Filipinos travelling to South Korea to delay non-essential travel as a precaution as COVID-19 outbreak.
It, however, clarified that the Philippine Embassy in Seoul has not received information that there are Filipinos infected by COVID-19, adding that it is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the members of the Filipino community in ensuring their safety.
At the same time, Filipinos in South Korea are directed to monitor and comply with the advisories from South Korean health authorities and cooperate with efforts to quell the further spread of the virus.
Filipinos in South Korea are advised to contact the emergency hotline number of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul at (+82) 10-9263-8119.
The DFA said those experiencing symptoms of the virus should immediately contact the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) at 1339.
Based on a June 2019 DFA report, there are approximately 60,139 Filipinos in South Korea.
The Korea Immigration Service, on the other hand, puts the number of Filipinos in the affected areas at 4,289. (with a report from Roy C. Mabasa)
