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The government now intends to curb the repatriation of Filipino workers abroad (OFW) amid its mandatory quarantine requirement for travelers coming from countries with the new strain of the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
It is also now considering imposing travel restrictions on more countries that have reported cases of B117, the newest, most infectious variant of Covid-19 from the United Kingdom.
The Department of Health (DOH) is considering expanding the list of countries with existing travel restrictions due to having B117 cases to include China and Vietnam.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is now awaiting a notice from the World Health Organization (WHO) before deciding to expand the list.
Health authorities have been repeatedly asked about the case in China, where on December 14 the case of a woman infected with the new strain was reported. Social media commentators wondered why China still doesn’t have a travel ban.
Meanwhile, at an online press conference on Monday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) revealed that it is studying reducing the number of lost foreign workers repatriated to ensure that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) still able to provide accommodation.
“I just had a meeting with Owwa Administrator [Hans] Cacdac. He fears that our hotels are already running out [to serve as accommodation for OFW]”Bello said.
Since last month, the government began requiring Filipinos from 21 countries with B117 incidents to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
Currently, the list of countries and territories with travel restrictions are United Kingdom (United Kingdom); Denmark; Ireland; Japan; Australia; Israel; The Netherlands; Hong Kong; Switzerland; France; Germany; Iceland; Italy; Lebanon; Singapore; Sweden; South Korea; South Africa; Canada; Spain; and the United States.
Bello said the travel restriction, which will last until January 15, 2021, can be raised to a total travel ban to include even Filipino travelers, if OFWs in these now covered areas turn out to have been infected with B117. Bello said, however, that they have not yet received reports of any OFW that have the new strain.
Prior to the implementation of the travel restriction and mandatory quarantine, returning Filipinos were allowed to go home if they tested negative for Covid-19 on their reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT) test. -PCR).
The results of the RT-PCR test will generally be published after three days. During that period, OFWs stay in the accommodations provided by Owwa.
As of Monday, the DOLE said the government has already repatriated 396,000 OFW, while between 60,000 and 70,000 are expected to return home in the coming weeks. He also noted that 11,448 OFW were infected with Covid-19.
