ADVISORY. Ilocos Norte is coronavirus free. The Ilocos Norte government issues a public advisory to counter fake news circulating in social media. (Image courtesy of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte)
LAOAG CITY—The Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte has asked the public not to cause panic by sharing unverified reports about the deadly coronavirus in the province.
On Wednesday, some Ilocos netizens were alarmed by a video of a private hospital nurse in Laoag that went viral in social media due to two alleged cases of coronavirus here.
It turned out, however, that the video was untrue, prompting Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc to make a public announcement.
“The video is false and it is totally irresponsible. As the DOH [Department of Health] has confirmed, there are no official cases of the coronavirus in the Philippines and of course that includes Ilocos Norte,” said Manotoc in an interview.
Manotoc has urged residents to be cautious and practice proper hygiene as always. As a precautionary measure, the thermal screener at the Laoag International Airport (LIA) will be activated as soon as possible.
As of this posting, the Laoag airport is only servicing domestic passengers via Philippine Airlines.
The LIA used to receive Chinese and Taiwanese tourists on regular chartered flights from Guangzhou and Kaoshiung, Taiwan.
The number of chartered flights and the arrival of Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean tourists in Laoag, however, declined over the years. (PNA)
