No Filipinos infected with COVID-19 in India -envoy

No Filipinos have been infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in India, which has the highest number of cases in Asia, according to Ambassador Ramon Bagatsing Jr. on Wednesday.

“So far, we have no reports of any Filipino or Filipina having been afflicted with this virus,” he said in a televised briefing. “Suwerte tayo diyan.”

Bagatsing said there are about 3,000 Filipinos in India, which has reported 207,615 COVID-19 cases, including 5,829 deaths, based on the tally of the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.

“Ang mga Pilipino naman dito ay hindi naman talaga lumalabas, hindi pala-ikot at sumusunod sa mga patakaran na ininutos ng pamahalaan,” he said.

He also said the embassy has been assisting in the repatriation of stranded Filipinos.

The embassy reported that it had repatriated last month a total of 160 Filipinos (migrant workers, tourists, students) who were stranded in India because of the lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. 

India will start easing restrictions in some places this month as the government prepared a $266-billion package to revitalize Asia’s third largest economy. -MDM, GMA News