46 immigration personnel infected with COVID-19, says BI chief

A total of 46 employees of the Bureau of Immigration have tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), BI commissioner Jaime Morente said Wednesday.

Morente said of the 46 staff infected by the virus, nine have already recovered while the 37 are still housed in government-accredited quarantine facilities.

"The good news is that, so far, none of our employees have succumbed to the virus," he said in a press statement.

He said only one of the BI employees with confirmed COVID-19 infection is presently confined and recovering in a hospital.

"We are doing our best in seeing to it that health protocols aimed at preventing the spread of the virus are strictly observed in our offices and workplaces,” he added.

The BI chief said half of those who contracted the virus are currently assigned at the BI main office in Intramuros, Manila while the rest are stationed in other places such as the international airports in Pasay and Cebu, the bureau's satellite and extension offices in Metro Manila, and elsewhere nationwide.

Morente said BI had 93 suspected COVID-19 cases among its workers but half of them were already cleared, and were found negative for the virus after undergoing home quarantine.

He added the public should not be surprised that some BI employees were infected by the virus as they are one of the few government agencies whose personnel render frontline services, not only in the offices, but in the ports of entry as well.

“It is unavoidable that some of our employees do come in contact or are exposed to persons who are carriers of this virus," he said.

Despite the COVID-19 cases, the bureau's operations will continue albeit in a limited capacity during the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), said deputy spokesperson Melvin Mabulac.

The BI has scaled down operations as Metro Manila and other nearby areas reverted to MECQ, but its online appointment system remains open to foreigners scheduled to leave the country during the MECQ period.

In an interview on Dobol sa News TV, Mabulac also said the bureau has enough personnel at the airports to screen returning overseas Filipino workers.—Nicole-Anne Lagrimas/AOL, GMA News