MANILA, Philippines — There are no Filipinos in New Zealand infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Philippine Ambassador Jesus Domingo said Tuesday.
“Walang naapektuhan in terms of sakit mismo,” Domingo said in a televised briefing.
However, he noted that many Filipino workers in the South Pacific nation were laid off due to the lockdown imposed to curtail the spread of the viral illness.
Domingo said displaced Filipino workers there received cash assistance from the Philippine government.
The Philippine Embassy in New Zealand, meanwhile, also provided assistance in terms of food and housing needs.
New Zealand has so far reported 1,497 COVID-19 cases with 21 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.
Globally, the novel coronavirus has infected over 4.1 million people.