BI tracks down family of man infected with coronavirus 

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2020 06:54:36 +0000

By JEFFREY DAMICOG

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said yesterday that the Bureau of Immigration has tracked the family of a Chinese man who was the first confirmed case of the 2019 novel coronavirus strain in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Ministry of Health had earlier confirmed that the man’s family managed to enter the Philippines.

“Na-track down na ng BI,” Guevarra said.

Guevarra said the BI is monitoring their movements and may refer them to the Bureau of Quarantine of the Department of Health.

The man entered Hong Kong as a tourist from Wuhan, China via speed train last Jan. 21 and was detected with fever at the border.

The man was taken to an isolation ward at Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong and is reportedly in stable condition.

The Hong Kong Ministry of Health said that his family arrived in the Philippines aboard Cebu Pacific Flight 5J-111 last Jan. 22.

The BI and the National Bureau of Investigation had earlier said they are ready to help track down foreigners who entered the country and suspected to have been infected with the virus.

“I’m sure that the Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine has taken steps to restrict the movements of this family from Wuhan,” Guevarra said.

“But should the DoH need our help, I will direct the BI and NBI to track down the whereabouts of these Chinese nationals and find the people they have interacted with in our country,” he said.

“BI has informed me that they are now identifying this family from Wuhan and tracking their whereabouts in the country.”

The Bureau of Quarantine had no encounter with the family of the man, the DoH said.

“Tinanong ko yan kagabi sa Bureau of Quarantine kasi sila naman ang otoridad dyan patungkol sa kung sino ang pumapasok – wala naman daw silang ganoon na naenkwentro…Vinalidate ko sa Bureau of Quarantine wala naman,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

Cebu Pacific said that all passengers and crew of the said flight  were screened by the Bureau of Quarantine upon arrival in Manila, and none of them were held for further observation.

“Nonetheless, we are trying to coordinate with Hong Kong authorities to verify infor
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