The government is expected to dispatch an aircraft to fetch a group of Filipinos in Hubei, China this week amid the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak.
Forty-two Filipino workers from Hubei have expressed willingness to return home and will be fetched by Foreign Affairs and Health authorities, according to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella.
“The expected goal is to be able to fetch them within the week,” Abella said.
“Formerly it was 40, it’s now 42,” he said about the number of Filipinos who wish to return to the Philippines from Hubei.
A rapid response team from the Department of Foreign Affairs along with five to seven medical personnel from the Department of Health may be deployed to fetch the Filipino repatriates.
“The aircraft may leave for China sometime this week,” he said.
As soon as they return to the country, the returning Filipinos will be subjected to 14 days of mandatory quarantine based on DoH guidelines.
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine director Celia Carlos said Filipinos who have shown no respiratory infection but had travel history to China are advised to undergo home quarantine.
“If personnel returning from China have no symptoms, no fever, no respiratory symptoms, but has a history of travel, they need to do self-monitoring at home. They stay at home preferably separated from the rest of the household. If they can stay in a separate room, that’s much better,” Carlos said.
She said these travelers are advised to monitor their temperature twice a day as well as wear masks from the date of arrival until they complete the 14-day quarantine.
“If they have no symptoms, then that’s it but if they develop symptoms, they are advised to go to a facility which can evaluate them,” she said.
She said public and private hospitals have dedicated area and personnel who can attend to patients with flu-like symptoms.
China has offered to send an aircraft to bring home around 300 Chinese stranded in the country following the Philippine government’s travel restrictions over the global threat of the 2019 novel coronavirus.
According to Bureau of Immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval, the Embassy of China in Manila has relayed its readiness to fetch their nationals affected by the travel ban.
“There are around 300 Chinese nationals who are stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport because most of the airlines have cancelled their flights to and from China,” she said.
“But our office is coordinating with the Chinese Embassy and they have pledged to send an aircraft to fetch their citizens who are stranded in the country. Maybe today or in the next few days, we will find out details of these flights that the Chinese Embassy will be arranging,” she said.
Sandoval later clarified that the number of stranded Chinese nationals included those affected in other terminals across the country.
She said other foreigners were also stranded at the NAIA airport but were eventually able to leave Manila. (Genalyn Kabiling)
