The Department of Health is gearing up for the return this weekend of several overseas Filipino workers from coronavirus-hit Wuhan, China who will undergo 14-day quarantine at the Athletes’ Village in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.
DoH Secretary Francisco Duque III said that they will lay down the do’s and don’ts that have to be followed by the returning OFWs to ensure the health and safety of everyone in the area should they be infected with the coronavirus.
These include limiting where they could roam around and requiring them to observe cleanliness through using various hygiene kits and disinfectant solutions.
“Mayroon tayong controlled ‘yung environment, regulated talaga. Kaya mo nga kina-quarantine para hindi makahawa,” Duque said. “Bibigyan na sila ng hygiene kit para maya-maya, punasan nila ‘yung lapag ng kanilang lamesa at CR,” he added.
“Respiratory droplet ang mode of transmission. Wala sa hangin at doon sa plema. Kapag nalapag sa lamesa, cellphone, libro, o computer, tapos nahawakan ng susunod na tao, kinuskos sa ilong, doon ka mahahawa.”
Meanwhile, Duque assured residents living near New Clark City that they won’t be put at risk from the coronavirus as the Athletes’ Village will be put on lockdown.
Duque said that he talked to the president and chief executive officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, which owns the site, and agreed that the Athletes’ Village will be put on lockdown once it begins accepting repatriated Filipinos from China.
“I-la-lockdown naman nila, so walang problema na baka malagay sa alanganin ang mga komunidad,” Duque said amid the objection posed by residents.
A repatriation team from the Department of Foreign Affairs is now in Wuhan, ground zero of the novel coronavirus, to begin the process of bringing home Filipinos from Hubei province.
Led by Mark Anthony Geguera and Sanny Darren Bejarin of the Philippine Consulate in Shanghai, China, the DFA repatriation team arrived in Wuhan last Thursday and immediately met members of the Filipino community as well as with the Foreign Affairs Office in Hubei to discuss details of the repatriation.
“Today, we already have our DFA team inside Wuhan City for the repatriation of our OFWs. They are on the ground and they’re taking the risk,” DFA Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Concerns said in a statement.
Forty-five Filipinos in Wuhan are confirmed for repatriation and upon arrival in the Philippines, they will be brought to the Athletes’ Village to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine. (Joseph Pedrajas with Roy Mabasa)