MANILA -- A chartered plane carrying 311 Filipinos from the coronavirus-hit cruise ship in Japan touched down on Tuesday night at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga Province, north of Manila.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines said a second chartered flight carrying 140 Filipino crew members is expected to land before midnight on Tuesday.

All 451, who tested negative for coronavirus infection prior to their flight, will face 14 days quarantine.

However, Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque said those who manifest flu-like symptoms before landing at Clark will be isolated and will be taken to a local hospital. (Philippines-Diamond Princess Cruise Ship-Coronavirus)

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TOKYO -- Japan's Cabinet on Tuesday approved a reform bill to further strengthen countermeasures at its ports and airports to prevent African swine fever from entering the country.

The government hopes to enact the bill to revise the infectious disease control law for domestic animals by around April ahead of the Tokyo Olympics this summer, officials said. (Japan-Reform Bill-Countermeasures)

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JAKARTA -- Indonesia on Tuesday announced a stimulus package for the tourism sector with an aim to avoid further contraction.

The package comprises tax exemptions for hotels and restaurants in 10 tourism destinations, and discounted airline tickets for travelers, Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said.

The tax abolition is expected to take effect for six months, starting from March, the minister said. (Indonesia-Stimulus Package-Tourism)

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TOKYO -- The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday said the agency will continue to support Japan in safely decommissioning the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

In their meeting in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe briefed IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant stricken by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. (IAEA-Japan-Nuclear Plant) Enditem

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