BALANGA CITY — The Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) announced Wednesday that they are more concerned with crew members than cargos coming abroad amid the local transmission of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in the country.
BOQ Bataan Station Chief Emmanuel Sto. Domingo stressed during the Emergency Meeting on COVID-19 that they are conducting strict precautionary measures for crew members.
“As of now, we are practicing this — all arriving maritime vessels should stay at the quarantine anchorage area until cleared by BOQ,” he said.
However, Sto. Domingo clarified that the 14-day quarantine period still applies for crew members suspected to be infected with the disease.
“The quarantine period will be implemented to a crew member who will be classified as a person under investigation, especially those who will be coming from China, Macau, Taipei, Korea, and other countries with confirmed cases,” Sto. Domingo added.
In February, BOQ lifted the quarantine period for cargos after Philippine Ports Authority appealed as there were no high risks of transmission of the virus over the cargos.