Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia ordered the City Health Office (CHO) to closely monitor and intensify surveillance on the new coronavirus (CoV) strain which has been reported in China, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand.
According to the mayor, CHO should be taking measures to prevent the virus.
He said the issue has become a worldwide concern as the number of cases in China is currently increasing.
He added, with the upcoming Lunar New Year celebration, millions are at risk if they are not properly checked.
Earlier on Tuesday, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III revealed a five-year-old who arrived in Cebu from Wuhan, China tested positive for CoV.
The child is now confined at a hospital in Cebu City and has been placed under close surveillance.
Meanwhile, samples taken from the patient were sent to Australia for further confirmation and analysis.
CoV is described as a large family of viruses with some causing less-severe disease, such as the common cold, and others more severe disease, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS; and severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS./DGB, WDJ