MANILA, Philippines – The government’s coronavirus task force announced on Monday, April 20, that overseas Filipinos (OFs) returning to the Philippines will be made to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine period. 

“Lahat po ng OFs na umuwi sa Pilipinas galing sa ibang bansa na may community-based COVID-19 transmission ay kailangang dumaan sa mandatory 14-day quarantine,” Cabinet Secretary and task force spokesman Karlo Nograles said in a Laging Handa briefing. 

(All OFs coming from areas where there is community-based COVID-19 transmission will need to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine.)

Nograles emphasized the measure will apply to all returning Filipinos, not just overseas Filipino workers. 

Returning Filipinos, he added, may also be tested with rapid antibody tests upon entering quarantine facilities and again, upon discharging to determine next steps for health surveillance if needed.  

Prior to the announcement, only overseas Filipino workers were made to complete government-supervised quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines. This was handled by the sub-task group for the repatriation of Filipinos under the National Task Force COVID-19, chaired by the Department of Transportation and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. 

As of Monday, there are 984 Filipinos overseas positive for the coronavirus. The confirmed cases include 148 deaths and 259 recoveries. In the Philippines, there are 6,259 confirmed cases, including 409 deaths and 527 recoveries. 

Global cases have surpassed 2 million, while over 165,000 people have died due to the disease in over 190 countries and territories. – Rappler.com