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PH’s mandatory quarantine: How it works

All OFWs planning to fly home to the Philippines are mandated to undergo a mandatory quarantine in accordance with the Philippine government’s preventive measures against coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
The Filipino Times spoke with Overseas Filipino Workers who have undergone the required quarantine in some of the government’s isolation facilities. According to them, here are the steps once you land in Manila:
– Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by staff from the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Health.
– You will still be required to fill up the usual forms for declarations
– You will have your temperature scanned
– Once you pass the screening, you will head to the Immigration counter and then to the baggage counter
– You will be directed to a certain area where OFWs are fetched by members of the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as well as officials from Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA)
– You will be asked to hop on the bus that will take you to your assigned quarantine facility.
– Inside the bus, social distancing will be strictly enforced (the one-seat-apart policy will apply).
– Upon arrival at the quarantine facility, every cost will be covered for OFWs—such as food, accommodation, and health kits. Returning non-OFWs, meanwhile, will have to pay for the expenses.
– You will then get tested for the disease, and stay at the facility while waiting for your result
READ ALSO: LGUs agree to implement home quarantine for returning OFWs
According to OWWA, here are the usual steps from after you get tested down to when you will be released:
– According to their statement released on Facebook, the results of the COVID-19 test will be available after three of four days
– Two certificates will be given to OFWs—a certificate of completion of the 14-day quarantine from OWWA, and a certificate of negative RT-PCR test results from PCG.
– Once they receive the certificates, their transfers to their respective homes will be arranged.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s directives have instructed several government agencies to ensure that OFWs will be given free trips once they have completed their 14-day quarantine and have secured their certificates from the Bureau of Quarantine. The president even ordered to make use of land, sea, and air transport even from transport vehicles from the Armed Forces of the Philippines if deemed necessary.
Local Government Units have also allowed OFWs who have returned to their respective provinces to stay in their homes for another 14-days instead of isolating them at a specified facility. However, LGUs note that the OFWs’ home should not be congested – otherwise, they can have the option of being put in isolation facilities in their barangays, “so that they are within reach of their families.”
SEE ALSO: Some OFWs under mandatory isolation still in quarantine facilities for over 14 days; claim swab tests are done only on 14th day

Staff Report

The Filipino Times is the chronicler of stories for, of and by Filipinos all over the world, reaching more than 236 countries in readership. Any interesting story to share? Email us at [email protected]

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