Hundreds of deportees are expected to arrive here in Zamboanga City from Sabah, Malaysia will be monitored as a precautionary measure against the possible entry of coronavirus.
Deportees are normally subjected to medical check-up upon entry by the Bureau of Quarantine, City Health Office and Department of Health.
City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Miravite, however, underscored the need to be more strict in their monitoring.
The deportees come from Sabah, Malaysia, a country with four confirmed cases of novel coronavirus.
The health sector convened over the weekend to institute measures to revisit existing protocol for responding to strains of the coronavirus which emerged during the past years.
In a City Hall press release, the health sector reportedly discussed mechanisms to identify suspect patients as they enter the city, provisions of isolation rooms to segregate patients manifesting flu-like symptoms and the timely dissemination of information to ally public fears.