All ships that called at South Korean ports in the past 14 days will be boarded by health officers at the quarantine anchorage before they are allowed to berth at Philippine ports, according to the Philippine Ports Authority as part of the measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19).
PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said the ports authority will soon issue a notice “expanding the coverage of restrictions to include South Korea.”
The development came after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) ordered a temporary travel ban on any Filipino tourist going to South Korea, and on travelers from South Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province, including Daegu City and Cheongdo County.
South Korea has the highest number of the Covid-19 cases outside of China, where it was first detected in December last year.
South Korea is one of the Philippines’ top sources of imported goods, ranking third in December 2019. In 2018, Philippine exports to South Korea reached $2.5 billion while imports from South Korea amounted to $11.2 billion.
PPA last month issued the prescribed management protocols for all its ports to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 while also ensuring business continuity and reduced disruption of maritime trade and transport.
PPA Memorandum Circular (MC) 02-2020 is in conjunction with the advisories issued by the BoQ, IAFT-EID, Bureau of Immigration, and other government agencies on the Covid-19.
MC 02-2020 applies to all arriving ships that have called at any port in China and its special administrative regions (SAR) – Hong Kong and Macau – and all arriving ships with crew and/or passengers who have travelled to China and its SARs in the past 14 days.
The order noted that all PPA ports remain open to all vessels, except cruise ships, that came from or made port calls in China, Macau, and Hong Kong, regardless of the 14-day incubation period of disease, provided they are boarded at quarantine anchorage. – Press release
July 27, 2024
