DFA Welcomes Home 253 OFWs from Kuwait Amid COVID-19 Crisis

MANILA 26 March 2020 - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) welcomed home 253 overseas Filipinos from Kuwait early morning today.

Amid the threat of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and the the closure of the Kuwait International Airport, the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait arranged a humanitarian flight to repatriate the distressed Filipinos from Talha Deportation Center, the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) Expatriate Shelter, and the Embassy shelter.

"We continue to be here for our OFWs and their families despite the COVID-19 crisis. Your government is always here for you and we are in this together," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said.

Representatives from the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Health, Department of Transportation, Bureau of Immigration, and Manila International Airport Authority joined in welcoming the repatriates.

All 253 Filipinos underwent the appropriate medical protocols and check-up at the airport as required by the DOH Bureau of Quarantine. The repatriates were reminded further to observe strict home quarantine for 14 days.

The repatriates were likewise provided with transportation to their destinations in Metro Manila or provinces in Luzon to be reunited with their families. Those who could not yet go home due to the lockdown in Metro Manila were provided with temporary shelter. END