33 land-based OFWs repatriated from Singapore, Malawi

Thirty-three land-based Filipino workers from Singapore and Malawi have arrived in the country after they were repatriated by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) amid the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a statement, the DFA said 14 OFWs from Singapore and 19 OFWs from Malawi arrived on Monday afternoon.

The repatriation of OFWs from Malawi was facilitated by their agency, with the aid of the Philippine embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Pretoria, South Africa. The Filipino workers from Malawi transited through Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Germany, and Qatar, before finally returning to the Philippines.

They will undergo a 14-day stringent quarantine at a Bureau of Quarantine-accredited facility arranged by their agency.

The OFWs from Singapore, meanwhile, sought assistance for temporary accommodation to house them during the 14-day stringent quarantine period. They were endorsed to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

In compliance with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Resolution No. 23, Philippine Coast Guard personnel were at the airport to ensure that all land-based and sea-based OFWs were transported to BOQ-accredited facilities to undergo stringent 14-day quarantine and to receive clearance from the DOH and BOQ.

Returning overseas Filipino workers will now undergo rapid testing for the COVID-19 as the government tries to prevent imported cases.—AOL, GMA News