DUBAI: One of the two repatriation flights from the UAE to Manila is expected to take off today, June 30.
The other repatriation flight is set for July 17.
As per the Philippine government’s plan, more chartered flights are expected in the coming weeks, depending on the availability of quarantine facilities.
With 35,000 rooms being available and the government providing enough resources for sweeper flights, the repatriation process was ready, said Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Arriola.
“However, with the quarantine lasting for 14 days, the 35,000 rooms get quickly filled,” she told media virtually from the Presidential Communications Operations Office.
She said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is working with other government agencies to ensure the availability of more quarantine facilities and rooms.
While chartering flights is easy, adequate quarantine facilities remained the need of the hour – especially with the Delta variant creating havoc – even as the government sought to open up hotels around the country, she said.
Meanwhile, the Philippines has imposed a travel suspension for incoming flights from the UAE, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal in the wake of the more contagious Delta coronavirus variant in the region.
Many OFWs have resorted to appealing on social media for lifting this suspension as they are facing problems of rebooking fees and expired visas.
