Philippines gaming regulator PAGCOR says it has issued a memorandum to all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and service providers ordering a 10-day quarantine be imposed upon employees returning from any country with confirmed cases of the Coronavirus.
The order, if strictly applied, would cover any POGO employee to have spent time in at least 15 countries, including China, Macau, Hong Kong, Thailand, the United States, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, France, Vietnam, Nepal and Canada.
In a Tuesday announcement, PAGCOR said it is strictly monitoring the entry of Chinese citizens employed by the nation’s gaming companies and had already issued a memorandum requesting they exercise extreme caution in selecting employees to be sent to the Philippines.
The second order demanding a 10-day quarantine period was sent early Tuesday, with PAGCOR adding, “even before the agency came out with the said directives, some POGO entities have already voluntarily avoided the entry of such workers to the country.
“Although the World Health Organization has not yet declared a global emergency, the Philippine government has tightened the noose on the entry of workers and tourists coming from Wuhan, China and other countries with reported 2019 nCoV infections,” it said.