Chinese tourists were stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after the government implemented a travel ban to and from China and its select administrative regions amid nCov threat.
Two flights previously scheduled to leave NAIA for Guangzhou and Xiamen were canceled today, February 3, according to a report by Corinne Catibayan on GMA News’ Unang Balita.
A flight from Guangzhou to Singapore was also canceled on Monday.
Passengers of the canceled flights, Chinese nationals, and other foreigners alike expressed their frustration over the cancellation.
“We’re all Chinese, and we want to go home back to China. But due to the flights canceled, we have no flights to go home,” one female passenger said.
“I mean, because of the virus stuff, it’s good to have the bolt, the gate, to keep the Chinese to get in. I totally understand, okay. But to keep the bolt to keep Chinese from going out, it’s no good,” she added.
“If the government can give us some flights, even just a few so we can take Chinese back, and that we won’t allow Philippine go, that’s fine, no worries,” said another female passenger.
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Chinese tourists stranded at NAIA after travel ban amid nCoV threat
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday ordered a travel ban from Hubei, China, where Wuhan City is located. Wuhan is where the new coronavirus strain originated. The order was issued a day after the Department of Health confirmed the first case of 2019-nCoV in the Philippines.
Filipinos and Philippine residents who will come from China will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine period upon arriving in the Philippines.
Epidemiology experts would examine Filipinos coming from China, Macau, and Hong Kong before they would be placed under quarantine.
Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific announced yesterday they were canceling flights to and from China until February 29 and until March 21 for Air Asia.
Meanwhile, PAL and Cebu Pacific continue to trace passengers who had close contact with the two Chinese passengers who tested positive for nCoV.
The male patient died on Saturday, which was the first 2019 n-CoV death outside China.
Also read: Remains of first 2019-nCoV patient who died in Philippines to be cremated-DOH