DFA to start repatriation of Filipinos from China next week

Passengers walk past a thermal scanner at the medical quarantine area at the arrival section of Manila’s International Airport in Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, April 16, 2014. AP

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is set to repatriate next week the first batch of Filipinos from China in view of health concerns due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement on Thursday, the DFA said the Filipinos will be repatriated subject to China’s rules on disease containment, including immigration clearances, quarantine process, among others.

The repatriated Filipinos will be subjected to 14 days of mandatory quarantine per guidelines of the Department of Health (DOH) upon their arrival in the Philippines, the DFA noted.

“Filipinos in Wuhan City and the rest of Hubei province will be afforded priority in the first batch of repatriates,” the DFA said.

The DFA, meanwhile, advised Filipinos in China who wish to be included in the first batch of repatriates to contact the Philippine Embassy in Beijing or the nearest Consulate General in their area by Monday next week (Feb. 3).

On Thursday, the DOH confirmed the first case of novel coronavirus in the Philippines.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said a 38-year-old Chinese woman, who arrived in the Philippines via a flight from Hong Kong last week, tested positive for novel coronavirus, which first broke out in the capital city of Wuhan in Hubei province.

Edited by JPV