OFWs can return to mainland China, except Hubei province

Mara Cepeda

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

OFWs can return to mainland China, except Hubei province

Rappler.com

(UPDATED) The Filipino workers will be required to sign a declaration 'signifying their knowledge and understanding of the risks involved' upon their return to China

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – More than 600 stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are now allowed to go back to their jobs in all of mainland China except Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

President Rodrigo Duterte announced this late Thursday, March 12, after approving the recommendations under Resolution No. 11, Series of 2020 of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease.

The lifting of the ban is only for returning OFWs and Filipino government officials on official duty to mainland China.

OFWs who wish to return to mainland China will be allowed to fly there upon signing a declaration “signifying their knowledge and understanding of the risks involved,” according to the IATF resolution.

They should also present a valid visa, work permit, and overseas employment certificate.

OFWs on first-time deployment, their dependents, students, and tourists are still prohibited from traveling to mainland China, the Department of Foreign Affairs clarified on Sunday, March 15.

President Duterte read from the resolution submitted by the task force, with the premise that he would turn the resolution into an executive order to make it enforceable.

A health advisory pamphlet will be also given to the OFWs upon their departure from the Philippines. 

The Philippines had imposed a travel ban on China and its administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau after the cases of COVID-19 – the disease caused by 2019-nCoV – started spreading worldwide.

The Philippines already allowed OFWs to return to their jobs in Macau and Hong Kong on February 18. 

Wuhan City, the capital of Hubei province in China, is the epicenter of the new disease which has infected more than 80,700 people and killed at least 3,169

As of Thursday afternoon, the Philippines has confirmed 52 cases of COVID-19, two of which were fatal. 

Another 37 Filipinos are COVID-19 patients abroad, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Japan (passengers of the M/V Diamond Princess)  and the United States (passengers of the M/V Grand Princess). – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!
Clothing, Apparel, Person

author

Mara Cepeda

Mara Cepeda specializes in stories about politics and local governance. She covers the Office of the Vice President, the Senate, and the Philippine opposition. She is a 2021 fellow of the Asia Journalism Fellowship and the Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship of the UN. Got tips? Email her at mara.cepeda@rappler.com or tweet @maracepeda.