Special team to handle immigration procedures for Pinoys in Hubei, China — DOJ spox

By NICOLE-ANNE C. LAGRIMAS, GMA News
A special team of officers will handle immigration procedures for Filipinos who will be returning from the Chinese province of Hubei, whose capital is the epicenter of an outbreak of a new strain of the coronavirus.
The team has been briefed by the Bureau of Quarantine and will be provided the necessary protective gear, Justice Undersecretary Markk Perete said Wednesday.
"A dedicated team of IOs (immigration officers) will conduct the formalities," he said in a message to reporters.
Fifty Filipinos have reportedly indicated their wish to return home as of Tuesday night.
Perete said the returning Filipinos still need to undergo immigration formalities as authorities need to verify the identity of every person who enters the Philippines.
"Apart from updating travel records, immigration formalities are essential for our national security. We want to make sure that our security is not compromised by those who seek to gain entry into our territory by exploiting the current situation," he said.
"We need to remember that terrorism, among others, remains as valid a threat as the current medical emergency we are facing."
The Department of Justice official said repatriated Filipinos will be quarantined upon their return.
The Chinese government has report 5,974 confirmed cases of the new virus outbreak as of Wednesday. The figure exceeds the number of people infected in China by the SARS epidemic from 2002 to 2003.
The death roll has risen to 132.
There are no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the Philippines as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Department of Health. — RSJ, GMA News

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