246 Seafarers from U.K. Pushes Repatriation Total Well Above 11,000

(Photo by DFA-OUMWA)

PASAY CITY 11 April 2020 – The COVID-19 crisis added an additional 246 seafarers from the U.K. to the growing number of repatriated Filipinos since the onset of the pandemic.

The midday Black Saturday arrival from cruise ship MS Ventura pushed the number of repatriated seafarers to 8,419 in addition to the current number of land-based workers at 2,975.

Altogether, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has facilitated the repatriation of some 11,394 Filipinos since the Wuhan flight in February.

"The 246 Filipino seafarers underwent the appropriate medical protocols as required by the DOH. They are also required to undergo facility-based quarantine following the joint assessment of the DOH-BOQ and the Bureau of International Health Cooperation (BIHC)," said Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Y. Arriola.

The whole-of-nation approach to repatriation involves the DFA and the Philippine Embassy in London coordinating with the local manning agency Magsaysay Maritime Corporation, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), DOH and the DILG.

Representatives of Bureau of Quarantine, DOTr, Coast Guard, MARINA and Manila International Airport Authority, were also present in welcoming the repatriates. END 

(Photo by DFA-OUMWA)