The Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force for the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) issued a protocol update that mandates all returning OFWs to coordinate with the Department of Labor and Employment to inform the agency about the destination of each OFW five days before they arrive in the country.
DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III stated that all OFWs will be required to submit all pertinent information through their agency as part of the IATF-EID’s new regulations to help both OFWs and local governments be in sync with the former’s arrival back to their home province.
“I would like to inform you that under the new protocols of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), returning OFWs, before they leave their country of origin, they will notify us five days before their departure so that when we get their names, their skills, and their final destination, we will relay it to our LGUs (local government units),” said Secretary Bello.
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The Labor Secretary then affirmed that once OFWs arrive in the Philippines, they will immediately undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing – with results available in one to two days.
“If they are negative from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), we will allow them to (go) their final place of destination since the LGUs already know where they are headed to and also for them to prepare,” said Secretary Bello.
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Secretary Bello reiterated that they are expecting some 16,000 OFWs to arrive in the country this month.
