3 Pinoys among visitors quarantined in Hong Kong

MANILA, Philippines - Three Filipinos were among more than 200 visitors placed on seven-day quarantine in Hong Kong after one of them, a Mexican tourist, tested positive for the A(H1N1) virus, the Philippine Consulate General said Tuesday. The first person to be infected with the A(H1N1) virus in Hong Kong stayed at the Metropark Hotel in Wanchai on May 1. The A(H1N1) patient is a 25-year-old Mexican male who checked in at the hotel but was later brought to the Ruttonjee Hospital after experiencing coughs, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms. The Hong Kong’s Department of Health imposed – as a temporary emergency measure – a seven-day quarantine on the hotel guests which will last until Friday. Among those quarantined are a Filipina, her Australian husband and their son, and another Filipina from Cebu – all of whom are temporary visitors in Hong Kong. There were no reported Filipinos working at the hotel as staff members. Consulate officials, meanwhile, confirmed that the Filipinos were in good health. They said that the Hong Kong government will cover the hotel and airline tickets/rebooking charges for all individuals who were the subject of the quarantine. To date, the Hong Kong government has not reported any additional cases of A(H1N1). In a meeting with the Filipino community on May 3, consulate officials reiterated their call for Filipinos in Hong Kong to take precautionary measures against the A(H1N1) virus. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV