The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant, Admiral Joel S Garcia has imposed the strict implementation of guidelines and preventive measures for PCG port state control officers to protect themselves against Novel Corona Virus (NCoV).

In adherence to the directive of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to beef up safety measures against the contagious NCov, Admiral Garcia urges frontliners to protect themselves from being infected and deter any possible spread of said virus in the country by strictly implementing the following guidelines and preventive measures in consonance to the safety protocols issued by the Bureau of Quarantine.

Said guidelines are specifically intended to protect individuals who are performing port state control functions, including vessel boarding procedures:

1) Avoid close contact between port state control officers and ship’s crew;

2) Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks, latex gloves, and boots, especially if close contact with any of the ship’s crew cannot be avoided;

3) Properly and immediately dispose PPE after usage to avoid possible contaminations;

4) Maintain clean hands and use hand sanitizers at all times;

5) Ensure the availability and placement of hand sanitizers in all stations;

6) Immediately report if any of the ship’s crew is found to have developed any sign or symptom of flu or pneumonia during the boarding procedure;

7) Advice ship’s crew to limit or avoid unnecessary movement outside the vessel and to wear PPE if required to disembark to Philippine shores; and

8) Ensure that ship’s crew follow the guidelines in handling vessel’s waste disposal.

The abovementioned guidelines and preventive measures shall be followed before and after boarding a suspected vessel that came from any country with reported cases of NCoV infection, based on their port of origin or last port call for the last 14 days.