The Philippine government is mulling on the possibility of bringing home hundreds of Filipino seafarers from a quarantined cruise ship, Diamond Princess, in Japan.
“Merong report to that effect na, as early as bago ako umalis, meron nang repatriation process na ginagawa para maiuwi iyong ating 500-plus na Filipino crew members,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III told radio DZMM.
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“Ang alam ko, i-uuwi na. Hindi ko lang alam kung ano exact date,” he added.
The Japanese Health Ministry said that the number of infected passengers of the novel coronavirus in Japan has risen to 355.
1,219 people have been tested from the ship which houses 3,400 passengers.
Eleven Filipino crew members of the luxury ship were confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
A Filipino crew member of the ship was the first known case of a Filipino infected with COVID-19.
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The Labor Department said that they are now coordinating with the agency of the Filipino crew members.
Bello said that the Filipino seafarers will continue to receive pay while under quarantine, and will also get the “usual reintegration” assistance from government.
Both the Department of Health and Foreign Affairs Department said that the repatriation for the Diamond Princess cruise ship will be tackled in the next inter-agency meeting.
