Filipinos from Hubei arriving Saturday, to be quarantined in Nueva Ecija

Workers in protective gear are seen on the apron near the first charter flight from the Chinese city of Wuhan, which was arranged by Japan's government to evacuate its citizens, after landing at Haneda airport in Tokyo on January 29, 2020. The first Japanese nationals evacuated from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the centre of a deadly virus outbreak, arrived in Tokyo on January 29 aboard a charter plane.
AFP/Kazuhiro Nogi

MANILA, Philippines — The first batch of Filipinos who will be flown out of China—specifically Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak—is expected to arrive in the Philippines on Saturday, Malacañang said Wednesday.

The initial batch of repatriated Filipinos will arrive at the Clark International Airport and will be transported to Fort Magsaysay—a military base in Nueva Ecija—where they will undergo mandatory quarantine.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella earlier said at least 42 Filipinos in China’s Hubei province have requested to be repatriated.

“The president instructed the Health secretary to go to the site to properly address the affected in detail,” Palace spokesperson Salvador Panelo said, referring to the unused mega drug rehabilitation facility in Fort Magsaysay, which can accommodate 10,000 individuals.

The confirmed death toll in China rose to 490 on Wednesday as millions of people in the country were ordered to stay indoors.

The virus has spread to more than 20 countries, prompting several governments, including the Philippines, to implement travel restrictions and airlines to suspend flights to and from China.

The Philippines reported Sunday the first death outside China—a man from virus epicenter Wuhan. The number of individuals being monitored for possible nCoV stood at 105, latest DOH data showed.

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