By PR | 02:42 PM April 27, 2020
The Inter-Agency Task Group on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases – Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 7 (IATG-MEID-RDRRMC 7) is preparing for the arrival of the first batch of repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who will be returning to their residences in Central Visayas.
A total of 291 repatriated OFWs including Boholanos bound for Central Visayas boarded the 2Go passenger vessel St. Michael the Archangel.
It left Manila at around 2:00 a.m. on April 27, 2020 and is expected to arrive in Cebu early morning of April 28, 2020.
Of the 291 repatriated OFWs, 220 is bound for Cebu, 47 for Bohol, while 24 OFWs will disembark in Dumaguete City.
The Bohol-bound OFWs will disembark at Cebu port as they will be ferried to Bohol in a separate vessel on April 28.
After stopping in Cebu, the 2Go vessel will proceed to Dumaguete City.
The ship is also carrying OFWs bound for Ozamiz, Iligan, and Zamboanga.
The said OFWs are seafarers who were displaced by the pandemic and were stranded in Manila amid the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), said Marlou Salazar, Office of Civil Defense (OCD-7) Regional Director and Co-Chairperson of IATG-MEID-RDRRMC 7.
Salazar said the group arriving on Tuesday is the first of three batches of repatriated OFWs who will return to Central Visayas.
This is the first time that Cebu will be receiving repatriated OFWs since the ECQ was implemented due to COVID-19.
They have been given authority to travel by The National Task Force Against COVID-19 so they can return to their respective provinces and/or residences.
Salazar said the IATG-MEID-RDRRMC 7 is working to ensure that a smooth system will be implemented in processing the repatriated OFWs so they can go home to their families as soon as possible.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Region 7 has already coordinated with the local government units (LGUs) to where the repatriated seafarers will be returning.
Upon arrival, they will undergo the mandatory health protocols to be conducted by a team from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) in Region 7.
They will go through the screening process which involves thermal scanning, physical exam, and download of the WeTrace app, among others, said Dr. Shelbay Blanco, Medical Officer III of DOH-7.
As for testing, Blanco said the official results of their tests done in Manila prior to their departure “will be our basis whether we will defer testing on them or not.”
All the luggage the OFWs will bring with them will also be decontaminated.
Blanco added that although the said OFWs have already completed the mandatory quarantine period in Manila, they will still undergo the 14-day quarantine period upon their arrival as required by local ordinances.
OWWA-7 has also arranged the accommodations of the OFWs in their respective provinces in the region for the duration of their quarantine period. (rmn/PIA7)
