Filipinos from Wuhan assured of psychosocial support in quarantine

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino repatriates from Wuhan City in China, which is under lockdown due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, will be given psychosocial services while placed under a 14-day quarantine at the Athlete’s Village in New Clark City, an official from the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday.

“Our mental health team from Mariveles will assist them in their mental needs… It’s no joke to be quarantined. Of course, you will get bored,”  Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo, speaking partly in Filipino, said in a press briefing at the Clark Development Corp. board room on the repatriation efforts of DFA and DOH.

In the air-conditioned facility, Bayugo said repatriates would be given food packs and entertainment items such as books and television.

They will also impose strict health protocols for rooms to avoid close contacts among the repatriates.

“We would like to maintain distance and less contact… One repatriate, one room — except if they are a family, especially if a child is around,” Bayugo said.

Repatriates will be allowed to use cellphones but only for contacting their families and relatives and not for posting on social media.

“Cellphone privileges will be allowed and internet but with some rules. They will be allowed to use that to contact with the family — not for posting complaints,” Bayugo said.

Bayugo said waste produced by the repatriates would be disposed of properly to avoid contamination to communities living near the facility.

Aside from the repatriates, the eight-man team who assisted the Filipinos will also be placed under quarantine but not in the same rooms with the repatriates. The repatriation team is considered as persons under monitoring for nCoV as they only traveled from China without showing flu-like symptoms.

There are 300 Filipinos in Hubei province, a central Chinese province that has been under an unprecedented lockdown since Jan. 23 in a bid to stop the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus. Of the number, 150 are in Wuhan City.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said the repatriates and DFA team were expected to arrive at the Philippines at 5 a.m.

/atm