First Filipino COVID-19 Death in Israel

TEL AVIV 01 September 2020 – The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv confirms the demise of a 65-year-old Filipino lady from COVID-19 on 23 August 2020, the first Filipino to die of the disease in Israel.

The Embassy also recorded that 39 out of 46 Filipinos who had tested positive with the coronavirus in Israel have recovered and have been discharged from the hospital/quarantine facilities.

Embassy personnel continue to visit Filipinos affected by the virus, and have provided 200 USD OWWA financial assistance to 33 out of 40 eligible cases, as well as food packs/groceries, medicines, vitamins, surgical masks and gloves. The Embassy also distributed the DOLE-AKAP financial assistance of USD 200 to 588 overseas Filipinos who lost their jobs in the pandemic.   

The Embassy has also been assisting returning Filipinos in the issuance of the needed travel documents and facilitating the processing of their arrival and quarantine procedures. Furthermore, it is currently coordinating with Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority (PIBA) in the arrangements of the Voluntary Repatriation Program (VRP) for overstaying Filipinos.

On these developments, Philippine Ambassador to Israel Nathaniel “Neal” G. Imperial said, “Even with the prolonged duration of the pandemic, the Embassy continues to operate by appointment to serve the consular needs of the Filipino community in Israel. Despite our limited budget, the Embassy continues to provide food assistance to overstaying Filipinos who lost their jobs during the lockdown. The Embassy has remained open for consular operations and in compliance with the Ministry of Health (MOH) protocols, has only allowed a limited number of clients to enter the premises.”

“The Embassy continues to express its thanks to our kind-hearted kababayan who have not stopped providing support and assistance to those affected by the lockdown”, the envoy added.

Since 21 March 2020, the Embassy has delivered almost 2,000 food packs in the cities of Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem, including more than 200 packs directly to the houses of overseas Filipinos, and an additional 500 food packs to designated churches for distribution to those in need. END

For more information, visit https://www.telavivpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.org.il or https://www.facebook.com/PHinIsrael/.