OFWs in quarantine facilities manageable but already a red flag — OWWA

While the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) staying in quarantine facilities is still manageable, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said it is already considered a red alert for them.

At the Laging Handa briefing on Thursday, OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac noted that there are about 9,000 OFWs currently being observed in 240 hotel quarantine facilities.

“Manageable ang sitwasyon sa ngayon although medyo red flag or red alert levels na ‘yan for us. Binabantayan natin maigi ang sitwasyon. Nakadepende ito kasi sa bilis ng pag-swab test at bilis ng paglabas ng swab test result,” he said.

(The situation is currently manageable but that is a bit of a red flag or red alert levels for us. We are keeping a close eye on the situation as it still depends on the speed of the swab test and getting the results.)

Cacdac explained that if there are more OFWs in quarantine facilities, there is a bigger likelihood of receiving day to day complaints like in food, medicine, and health issues.

OWWA has deployed more teams on the ground to oversee the needs of the quarantined OFWs.

The conduct of the swab tests are also being coordinated with OWWA’s partner government agencies to speed up the processing and the smooth return of the OFWs in their home regions, Cacdac added.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday ordered law enforcers to guard hotels serving as quarantine facilities for returning Filipinos following the viral report of a woman named Gwyneth Chua who skipped quarantine after arriving from the United States to attend a party and go to several restaurants in Makati.

On December 27, Chua tested positive for COVID-19. Her fellow party-goers and some patrons and staff of a restaurant later tested positive for the disease.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) suspended the accreditation of Berjaya Makati Hotel, where Chua was reported to have cut her quarantine at, for failing to stop her from breaking quarantine rules. — RSJ, GMA News