MANILA, Philippines—Many were taken by surprise by the order to divert from March 29 to June 5 all international flights bound for the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City, Metro Manila, which is ground zero of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines.
The order, issued by Malacanang on Thursday (May 27), came after the provincial government of Cebu issued an order on testing of returning Filipino passengers—OFWs and non-OFWS—which differed from the one laid down by the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
The national government said the orde…
Keep on reading: Diverting flights: A new health protocol?