Coronavirus scare in Kalibo: 500 Chinese nationals for forced repatriation back to Wuhan

Coronavirus scare in Kalibo: 500 Chinese nationals for forced repatriation back to Wuhan

500 Chinese nationals in Kalibo, Aklan for forced repatriation back to Wuhan
(Image from Philstar.com)

More than 500 Chinese citizens left in Kalibo, Aklan, will be subjected to forced repatriation back to Wuhan.

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According to Civil Aviation Authority Philippines (CAAP) spokesperson Spokesperson Eric Apolonio, the Chinese nationals were all from Wuhan City. They were able to enter Kalibo International Airport before the lockdown for flights from and to Wuhan was imposed.

In a Radyo Inquirer interview, Apolonio said that from today until tomorrow, Saturday, there will be two flights departing from Kalibo to Wuhan to bring back Chinese tourists.

Despite the lockdown in Wuhan City, planes were still allowed to land at the airport for the repatriation of the Chinese nationals.

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Also read: DOH monitors 12 persons in Eastern Visayas for Wuhan coronavirus

Coronavirus scare in Kalibo: 500 Chinese nationals for forced repatriation back to Wuhan

When the plane that will deliver them returns to the Philippines, it will no longer carry foreigners from Wuhan.

Apolonio also said that all foreigners from Wuhan City were subjected to the screening. Their body temperatures were already taken at the plane.

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Suspensions will continue for flights from and to Wuhan City until the novel coronavirus scare still exists.

Meanwhile, medical experts and scientists have released theories on where could the new coronavirus strain have originated.

Genetic analysis of the virus that already killed 25 people revealed that the new strain might have originated in bats or snake.

The theories are based on examination of the genome sequence of the virus released by authorities in the wake of the outbreak.

One study revealed that the new strain of coronavirus from Wuhan, China was closely related to a strain found in bats.

Read: Scientists suspect Wuhan coronavirus came from bat soup

Another study said snakes served as an “intermediate host” of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which has spread to Macau, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea, and the United States.