863 Filipino sailors return from Miami – DFA

This photo shows the chartered flight of 863 Filipino seafarers, who were repatriated from Miami, Florida, and arrived on the morning of Saturday, April 18, 2020. Photo from DFA

MANILA, Philippines — Some 863 more Filipino seafarers have been repatriated from Miami, Florida, in the United States as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect people, businesses, and economies worldwide.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the 863 Filipino seafarers arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay on Saturday morning via a chartered flight by the Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings.

The return of these Filipino sailors has brought the total count of repatriated seafarers to 12,600, DFA noted.

In line with DFA’s protocol, the repatriates will undergo a mandatory 14-day facility-based isolation and be monitored by the Department of Health.

As of April 18, the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 tracker showed there are 694,296 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US, including 31,456 deaths and 58,545 recoveries.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, which outbreak started in China’s Wuhan City in Hubei province in late 2019.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

The World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Globally, the virus already infected more than 2,250,400 people and killed more than 154,240 as of April 18. On the other hand, over 571,575 people have recovered so far from the disease.

KGA