17 Filipinos in Shanghai discharged from quarantine, 4 still with COVID-19

A man stands on a bank of the Huangpu river in Pudong, amid the lockdown in the Pudong area, to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shanghai, China March 28, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song

MANILA, Philippines — Seventeen of the 21 Filipinos who earlier contracted COVID-19 in Shanghai have been discharged from quarantine, the Philippine consul general there said Wednesday.

According to Philippine Consul General Josel Ignacio, the consulate in Shanghai has recorded a total of 21 COVID-19 cases among Filipinos in China’s largest city.

“Ang cummulative cases na nasundan natin ay 21, pero ang napalabas na, ang discharged na ay 17 kaya ibig sabihin apat na lang po ang active,” Ignacio said in Teleradyo interview.

(The commulative cases we have recorded is 21, but 17 have been discharged, this means we only have four active cases.)

Ignacio said the four Filipinos are still in quarantine. All recorded cases among Filipinos are mild ones, the consul general also noted.

Shanghai has been on lockdown since March to address the COVID-19 outbreak there.

While Filipino overseas voting is allowed, restrictions due to the lockdown prevent voters from going out to vote in voting precincts.

Ignacio confirmed that there are around 4,000 Filipinos in Shanghai, some 1,600 of whom are registered overseas voters.

“As to the voting itself…pinapayagan po, subalit ang kalaban po natin yung mga restrictions sa lockdown na in effect hindi ho makakalabas ang kababayan dahil ang nakabatay po yan sa estados ng kanya kanyang compound, ng kanya kanyang community,” Ignacio said.

(As to the voting itself, it is allowed but our problem is the restrictions due to the lockdown in effect prevents our fellow Filipinos from going out because it depends on the compound they live in, the community.)

Ignacio added that mail-in voting was considered but postal services are still closed due to the lockdown in Shanghai.

/MUF