Malacañang reminds local government units (LGU) to ramp up and implement more safety measures in their respective areas following reports that several overseas Filipino workers have tested positive for COVID-19 even after they have completed their 14-day quarantine and testing from Metro Manila.
An OFW who recently returned to Palawan tested positive last Sunday, June 7 while two more repatriated OFWs who came home to Bacolod City and Negros Occidental also tested positive.
“Between the time a test is conducted and the time of arrival of an OFW or anyone travelling, the possibility of infection remains. Additional safety measures at the provincial or LGU level are likewise necessary to ensure that one is truly healthy and devoid of Covid-19,” said Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque.
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Local officials voiced their concerns of a possible local transmission as these repatriated OFWs might get infected during their travel from Manila towards their home provinces.
Furthermore, officials have also slammed the national government for an apparent lack of coordination as OFWs were sent back to their provinces as they alleged that entry and safety protocols, which have kept their COVID-19 cases low, were not followed.
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The Palace, however, said it respects the decision of some LGUs to let repatriated OFWs undergo a second round of testing and facility-based quarantine before returning to their respective homes.
Under government guidelines, all repatriated OFWs are required to undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and facility-based quarantine.
