30 Filipinos evacuated from virus-hit Wuhan cleared to go home
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2020 07:00:31 +0000
ALL 30 Filipinos from Wuhan, China were cleared to go home after showing no signs and symptoms of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) after their 14-day quarantine, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Saturday.
In a press statement, the DFA said the 30 Filipinos and 19 others who handled the repatriation were all declared “healthy.”
“All 30 repatriates from Wuhan received a clean bill of health and were cleared by the Department of Health (DoH) to leave the New Clark City quarantine facility today,” the DFA said.
“The repatriates, joined by the 10-man Health Emergency Response Team (HERT) from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the DoH, six flight crew members, and three ground crew operators are all declared healthy and showed no signs and symptoms of the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19),” it added.
The group, repatriated on February 9 from Covid-19 ground zero, is the first batch brought back by the government from the affected areas, according to the DFA.
“In the next few days, the DFA will be bringing back home over 400 Filipinos from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship that is docked in Yokohama, Japan. Other repatriation efforts will also be undertaken by the DFA in the coming weeks,” it added.
On Friday, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said government agencies were preparing to execute the repatriation plan for Filipinos who were from the virus-hit M/V Diamond Princess Cruise Ship docked in Yokohama, Japan.
He said there would be two chartered flights to pick up the Filipinos from Haneda Airport.
“The Office of the President also assures the public that all precautionary measures and safety protocols are in place for the seamless repatriation of our countrymen from Japan,” Panelo said. CATHERINE S. VALENTE