Is it safe to swim in pools, beaches despite coronavirus threat?

Is it "safe" to swim in pools and beaches to fend off the sweltering heat despite the mounting cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease in the country?

For Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the answer is a resounding yes. 

Duque said the novel coronavirus cannot thrive in seawater. 
"Basta't mainit ang panahon okay ang dagat," he told DZMM. 

(Swimming in the sea is okay as long as the weather is hot.) 

It is also "safe" swim in pools treated with chlorine, he said. 

"Makikita naman kulay asul, mayaman iyon sa chlorine; kung kulay berde, malabo huwag po kayong magswi-swimming," he said. 

(You'll see that the water is rich in chlorine if it's blue; if it's green, murky, don't swim there.) 

COVID-19 is believed to spread through droplets from the mouth or nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the World Health Organization. 

The Philippines so far confirmed 24 cases of COVID-19, including incidents of localized transmission.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared Monday a state of public health emergency to curb the pathogen's spread. 

The respiratory disease has killed some 4,000, with more than 110,000 cases recorded in over 100 territories, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse. 

DZMM, March 10, 2020 

RELATED STORIES:

• Threat of coronavirus pandemic now 'very real': WHO
• How to dodge novel coronavirus? Avoid touching 'MEN'
• Duterte suspends Metro Manila classes from March 10-14 due to COVID-19 threat