DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental- Twenty-three (23) repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) arrived at the port of Dumaguete from Manila past 12:00 noon today, Tuesday, April 28, 2020, on board M/V St. Michael Archangel of 2GO Shipping Lines.
Most of the 23 OFWs are seafarers including one (1) female.
The OFWs came from different areas in the U.S. and were cleared by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to travel back to the province after a 14-day mandatory quarantine in the Manila.
From the boat, the passengers immediately boarded a bus provided by the provincial government and were ferried to the passenger’s terminal area where the returning residents were processed by health authorities to make sure they have their pertinent papers and health clearance.
“Lipay kaayo ko nga nakauli na jud diri kay gikan sa US na quarantine ko sa Manila dayon naabtan sa ECQ. Wala ko kalarga. Karon naa na ko diri,” a seaman told CDN Digital.
During the processing, the body temperatures were taken and after following the stringent protocol the OFWs boarded the bus for their final destination- a hotel in the city where they will undergo another 14-day quarantine before they will be finally allowed to go home to their respective hometowns.
Dr. Liland Estacion, commander of the Inter-Agency Task for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases-Incident Command System (IATF-MIED-ICS) in an interview with reporters said the repatriated OFWs were already tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) through rapid diagnostic test and those negative were allowed to return home.
“For those negative sila ra ang gipabiyahe. They will stay at the Blue Horizon Hotel under the supervision of the Provincial Health Office and they will be swabbed again through the RT-PCR test,” Estacion said.
Estacion added that the police will watch over the 23 OFWs undergoing quarantine. /rcg