IATF calls on LGUs to allow OFWs to go home

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases has called on the local government units (LGUs) to allow overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have completed the mandatory 14-day quarantine to return to their homes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

IATF spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Karlos Nograles said in a virtual press conference that LGUs should not stop OFWs from returning to their homes as the Department of Health (DOH) has cleared them safe for the coronavirus disease.

 

Nograles has also called on the LGUs to allow the docking of ships with OFWs who were repatriated from countries that were affected by COVID-19 as he emphasized that they are not a threat to their locality.

 

“All LGUs are enjoined to allow the docking of maritime vessels in their ports, as well as to allow the disembarkation and transit of the aforementioned OFWs to their ultimate destination in the country,” Nograles said.

 

Nograles’ statement came after reports that some LGUs in the country allegedly do not allow entry of OFWs to their localities despite getting clearance from the DOH for fear of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Nograles emphasized that the OFWs have went through a series of protocols before they were given clearance by the DOH as part of the COVID-19 protocols of the government in a bid to contain the virus.

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that 651 OFWs have tested positive for COVID-19 while 379 are undergoing treatment and 188 have recovered from the disease from 49 countries.

 

The DFA said that 84 OFWs have died to COVID-19.

 

As part of the country’s COVID-19 response, the government has started repatriating OFWs from countries affected by the coronavirus and has required them to undergo a 14-day isolation period before they will be allowed to visit the loved ones.

 

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has recently opened two ships from 2Go Group Inc., docked at Pier 15 in Manila, which will serve as “quarantine ships” for repatriated OFWs – each ship can accommodate up to 1,500 patients.