The Philippines ban flights to Wuhan, repatriates 460 Wuhan tourists back to China

On January 23, Philippine aviation authorities banned all flights to the Chinese city of Wuhan.

According to ABS CBN, the decision came from the Civil Aviation Board after a special meeting on Thursday afternoon.

Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said that everything must be done so as not to compromise public safety.

“When it come to public safety, it is always better to be overly protective than to fall short on measures and eventually regret it. We have to address it quickly and we have to do it right,”

According to NHK, this directive led to 464 Chinese travellers from Wuhan being repatriated.

They had earlier entered the country at Kalibo International Airport.

They were visiting Boracay Island and other resorts in The Philippines.

Their travel plans apparently sparked a bit of a kerfuffle, with some having to assure people that the island was fine.

CNN Philippines reported that air carriers will bring the visitors back to Wuhan in three batches, Friday, Saturday, and Monday.

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