PH Embassy in Wellington Reopens as New Zealand Eases Restrictions
Philippine Embassy in Wellington personnel during the flag-raising ceremony. (Wellington PE photo)
WELLINGTON 21 May 2020 – The Philippine Embassy in Wellington reopened its doors to the public on 18 May 2020 after the New Zealand Government announced the easing of restrictions under New Zealand’s Alert Level 2.
For seven weeks since New Zealand went into lockdown or Alert Level 4 on 25 March 2020 in order to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the Embassy complied and operated remotely through work-from-home arrangements.
Nevertheless, the Embassy was able to coordinate a repatriation flight for stranded Filipinos and assist those who were in need of food during the crucial weeks that New Zealand was on Alert Levels 4 and 3–mandating a strict lockdown and quarantine.
For its re-opening, the Embassy complied with New Zealand Government’s safety regulations, including ensuring that its workplaces remain safe through sanitizing the Chancery, providing protective personal equipment (PPE) and shielded workstations, and setting up contact tracing mechanisms. Office hours are limited and clients are required to make prior appointments.
“The Philippine Embassy in Wellington continues to be committed in the service of our kababayans in New Zealand and the Pacific. We now operate on a sharply reduced budget due to the Government’s austerity measures as it prioritizes combating COVID-19 and providing relief to our people back home. This means that we cannot mount Consular missions outside Wellington for the remainder of the year. However, the Embassy will be open on Sundays to accommodate our kababayan who can only come to Wellington on the weekends. We hope for your understanding. Maraming salamat po!”, said Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Jesus S. Domingo.
The Embassy’s services under Alert Level 2 may be found on its website: www.philembassy.org.nz. END
Clients login manually or virtually through the Philippine Embassy in Wellington’s contact tracing forms. (Wellington PE photo)
Consular frontliners deliver passport, notarial, and Overseas Voting registration services. (Wellington PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.wellingtonpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philembassy.org.nz, or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinNZ/.