HEADING HOME. More than 600 returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who received negative results in their Covid-19 tests are sent off from Clark, Pampanga to their respective destinations in the country on Sunday (June 14, 2020). A total of 347 seafarers from the Royal Carribean Cruise Ship from Caribbean island nation of Barbados and 307 land-based OFWs from Dubai landed at the Clark International Airport on June 11, 2020. (Photo courtesy of BCDA)
CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – More than 600 returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who got negative results in their reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) were sent off from here to their respective destinations in the country on Sunday.
A total of 347 seafarers from the Royal Carribean Cruise Ship from the Caribbean island nation of Barbados and 307 land-based OFWs from Dubai landed at the Clark International Airport last June 11.
They were subjected to mandatory RT-PCR testing for Covid-19 at the airport and provided free accommodations while awaiting the test results.
Their swab samples were processed at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital in the City of San Fernando, this province and results were released two days later.
Two tested Covid-19 positive and were immediately isolated and transferred to the We Heal As One Center-ASEAN Convention Center here.
"Ito naman ang pinangako ng gobyerno—na hindi hihigit sa limang araw ang pagaantay ng ating mga OFWs. Nagagalak kaming makita na napakabilis ng pagdaan sa proseso ng mga kababayan natin na lumapag sa Clark (This is the promise of the government that the OFWs will not wait more than five days. We are happy to see that the process which our countrymen that landed in Clark went through was so fast,” said Vince Dizon, National Action Plan Against Covid-19 Deputy Chief Implementer, in a statement.
On June 9, a total of 337 repatriated seafarers of Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship who tested negative in their RT-PCR tests were also sent off to their respective home destinations.
The repatriates arrived at the CRK last June 6. They were provided free accommodations at the Quest Hotel and the Park Inn by Radisson Clark.
Aside from seafarers, a total of 262 OFWs on board an Emirates commercial flight from Dubai also arrived at Clark airport last June 5.
Dizon cited the joint efforts of the partner government agencies and local government units in Pampanga in welcoming the OFWs and attending to their needs.
The opening of the Clark International Airport is part of the government's initiative to lessen the bulk of OFW arrivals in Manila.
The quick turnaround of laboratory test results was possible due to the increase in the number of laboratories and the daily testing capacity outside the National Capital Region.
Upon the release of the OFWs' negative results, health certificates were issued by the Bureau of Quarantine.
The returning Filipinos were transported to their destinations via buses arranged by the Department of Transportation and licensed manning agencies in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the regional and local government units. (PNA)
