1,645 Filipino workers in Qatar displaced due to COVID-19 pandemic — envoy

MANILA, Philippines — The livelihoods of more than 5,000 Filipino workers in Qatar have been affected by the coronavirus crisis, with 1,645 of them being displaced, Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Alan Timbayan said Tuesday.

The diplomat also noted that 4,055 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle Eastern country were required to go on forced leave due to the pandemic.

Timbayan meanwhile appealed to Filipinos in Qatar to follow local authorities amid the COVID-19 crisis.

There are nearly 200,000 Filipinos in Qatar based on a 2015 data from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

So far, a total of 1,819 OFWs worldwide have been infected by the new coronavirus strain, and 1,130 of them are undergoing treatment while 214 have died.