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| No Filipino so far has been sick of the coronavirus, says Ambassador Sta Romana |
The Philippine Ambassador to China ,
Jose Santiago Sta. Romana, has said no Filipino has been stricken by the deadly
novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan
“No report of a Filipino in China
But he said the Philippine Embassy in Beijing is closely
monitoring the situation, and advised Filipino nationals who want to be evacuated
from the stricken areas, particularly Wuhan, to contact the nearest consulate
in Shanghai, +86 139 1747 7112.
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Ambassador Sta Romana also says there is as yet no plans to evacuate Filipinos from the blockaded city.
"We are closely assessing the situation of Filipinos in Wuhan in coordination with the Shanghai Consulate and DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs). All options are under discussion, no decision yet tonight," he said in his message.
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Embassy records show only four registered Filipinos in Wuhan
One of them, Malou G., told The SUN in an online message
that she and two other Filipinas managed to flee Wuhan
the night before the city, along with most parts of Hubei
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| All roads leading to Wuhan are closed (credit to the owner) |
Malou said she and her friends got scared when the police
told them they would all be moved to one place and wouldn’t be let out until
Feb. 3
“Gusto po nila kami isama sa isang building na pinaglagyan
sa mga tao pero hindi namalayan ng mga pulis na naka exit kami, ma’am. Bawal po
kasi ang lumabas sa mga province.”
Luckily, she said one of her friends who works as a teacher
in the city, managed to get them high speed train tickets to Shandong Wuhan
at 9pm on Jan 22, then caught another train to Beijing
She said Wuhan
She also related seeing several people, apparently sick, suddenly
crumpling to the ground where they would be later picked up by ambulances.
“Parang ‘Train to Busan’, maam”, she said, referring to the
hit Korean movie that centered on a group of terrified train passengers running
away from a countrywide viral outbreak that turned the afflicted into zombies.
She also confirmed the presence of many foreigners in Wuhan Wuhan
Malou related that their employers had let them go a week
before their escape. They were provided accommodation by the coordinator of an
international school, but they survived by mostly eating porridge.
Shortly afterwards she said chaos erupted, with the wet
markets being ordered to discard their products, and residents told they would
be put in isolation.
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| Wuhan is a virtual dead city, says Malou (Credit to owner) |
One of her friends who remained in Wuhan
later told her they were “ok” as they were rescued by a certain “Ma’am Lalaine”
who managed to get help from the Consulate in Shanghai
While fearful of her safety, Malou does not seem inclined to
return to the Philippines
Escaping the lockdown and the contamination itself are
enough to give her hope.
“Malakas siguro resistensya ko,” she mused.
