Philippine Consulate in Jeddah suspends ops after staff, ex-wards get COVID-19

The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended all its operations from Tuesday, June 23, until Thursday, July 2 after one of its personnel and two former wards tested positive for COVID-19.

In an advisory issued on Monday, the Consulate said the staff member has duties that involve high public exposure. 

It added that the two male wards were recently repatriated to the Philippines.

“All Consulate personnel have been instructed to self-quarantine and to seek medical attention should they develop the symptoms,” it said.

Affected are the Consulate's passporting, legalization of documents, civil registry, POLO, DSWD-SWAT, SSS, PAG-Ibig and PTIC services.

The Consulate urged those who visited the office from Sunday, June 14, to Thursday, June 18, to monitor their health and call 937 if they develop any symptoms.

“Despite the temporary suspension of its operations, the Consulate General shall continue to respond to emergency requests for assistance from the Filipino community,” it said.

As of Monday, the total number of overseas Filipinos infected by COVID-19 was 8,301 with 506 fatalities and 5,055 recoveries. 

Most of the cases came from the Middle East and Africa, with 6,096 cases, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

22 June 2020

Today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad breached the 8,300 mark with 2,160 cases in the Middle East and Europe. A similar increase in recoveries at 2,193 new recovered cases were reported mostly from the Middle East as well, (1/5) pic.twitter.com/NAx7xlHjwr

— DFA Philippines (@DFAPHL) June 22, 2020

—Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News