Department of Foreign Affairs. (Photo from the DFA Facebook account)
MANILA, Philippines – There are 867 Filipino seafarers based in Florida, United States had been repatriated to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday.
DFA said in a statement that the latest batch of repatriates arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 this morning. With this, close to 18,000 Filipinos abroad have returned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is the third straight week since the DFA facilitated the series of repatriations that followed the catastrophic economic impact wrought by the COVID-19 global pandemic,” DFA said.
“This batch of repatriates was composed of seafarers from ships Norwegian Pearl, Sky, Star, Sun, and Escape. They were assisted by the DFA through the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C, together with its partner agencies the Department of Health, the Bureau of Immigration, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and local manning agency (LMA) CF Sharp,” the department added.
Repatriates, according to DFA, were subjected to inspection by Bureau of Quarantine personnel. They would also undergo the 14-day mandatory quarantine prescribed to detect if they have contracted the latest coronavirus strain.
DFA earlier said that the number of Filipinos who have contracted the disease has risen to 990, with 143 of the patients dead while 263 were either discharged or have recovered from the sickness.
In the Philippines, the national government has yet to decide if the ECQ would be lifted or extended amid the rising COVID-19. The country currently has one of the highest coronavirus infection and mortality rates in the Southeast Asian region.
DOH said that there are now 6,459 COVID-19 cases all over the country, with 429 casualties and 613 recoveries. Worldwide, over 2.40 million individuals have been infected, while 165,788 have died from the disease and 620,696 have recovered from it.