Duterte: No compromise on quarantine protocols for arriving OFWs

President Rodrigo Duterte said he is not prepared to allow less stringent quarantine and testing protocols for arriving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that could compromise the health of the people as the country continues to bear the brunt of COVID-19.

“I cannot compromise.  I am not ready for a compromise lalo na ngayon, 'yung ibang siguro, yung rabies, rabies dyan pero ito talagang, as you have said, dapo rito, dapo roon, then you have the exponential problem now of how to take care of the Philippines," Duterte said in a televised briefing Wednesday.

The President convened the meeting with health experts to respond to the appeal of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello to immediately test OFWs and reduce the number of quarantine days in hotels or isolation facilities.

"Talagang hirap na hirap sila. They are crying . . . We cannot close our eyes to the miseries of our OFWs," Bello said.

[They're having a very hard time. They are crying... We cannot close our eyes to the miseries of our OFWs.]

According to Bello, the testing positivity rate of returning overseas Filipinos in 2020 was 2.07% while it decreased to 1.5% in 2021.

“Kaya nga po kami nakikiusap sana na kung maari we go back to the regional protocol noon na pag dating nung ating mga OFWs swab agad sila and then they are quarantined for five days while waiting for the result,” he said.

[That's why we're asking if we can go back to the regional protocol that when OFWs arrive, they are immediately swabbed and quarantined for five days while waiting for the results.]

He added that negative OFWs may then be transported to their respective provinces.

"Going back to my figures na 2.07% lang naman ang nagpapakita na 'yung ating mga overseas Filipinos ay nag po-positve sila. Kaya 'yun po ang pakiusap namin," he said.

[Going back to my figures that only 2.07% test positive. This is our request.]

In response, health experts from the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) proposed to shorten the mandatory quarantine period from 14 days to 10 days for returning OFWs without COVID-19 symptoms.

“So ito po ‘yung proposed changes as we have already mentioned. We can shorten the duration of quarantine from 14 days. If there are no symptoms to the end of 10 days,” Dr. Edsel Salvana said in a live briefing.

“Basta walang symptoms, we can do it 10 days,” he added.

[As long as there are no symptoms, we can do it in 10 days.]

Dr. Marissa Alejandria said that data from the CBC showed it is possible to reduce the quarantine period to 10 days.

“So ‘yun ‘yung parang compromise. It’s a good compromise in the sense that we reduce the duration of the period of quarantine with minimal effect on the number of infections that we may miss out,” she said.

“So the TAG experts, no, we concur that we can relax the 14 days to 10 days without testing,” she added.

Optional testing for asymptomatic patients

The TAG experts also proposed to do away with the mandatory testing of asymptomatic OFWs.

“Testing is optional unless somebody is asymptomatic,” Salvana said.

Salvana added that asymptomatic individuals should be tested on the 7th day as data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed that some OFWs test positive seven days into quarantine.

“Ideally pa rin facility-based quarantine but we recognize that this is very expensive. For LGU home-quarantine as long as it can be assured dapat daily ho and strict compliance at home and dapat set up po talaga yung house,” he said.

[Ideally, quarantine should be facility-based, but we recognize that this is very expensive. LGU home quarantine [is okay] as long as it can be assured that daily and strict compliance at home. The house should also be set up.]

According to Alejandria, OFWs who develop symptoms within 10 days must be immediately tested.

“So the system should be in place to be able to isolate once they get symptoms and they get tested and then that’s the policy that we can adapt,” she said.

The Philippines has reported 962,307 confirmed cases, of which 829,608 have recovered and 16,265 have died. —LDF/NB, GMA News