30 repatriates leave quarantine facility full of gratitude

FILE: The DFA brought back to the Philippines today a total of 30 Filipinos who wished to return home from Wuhan City, ground zero of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Acute Respiratory Disease (2019-nCoV ARD). (Photo: DFAPHL/Twitter)

CAPAS, Tarlac – As 30 Filipino repatriates departed New Clark City in a send-off ceremony organized by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday, they likewise left the quarantine facility full of gratitude, hope and answered prayers as no one from the first batch of repatriates exhibited signs of the coronavirus (Covid-19).

One of the repatriates was a pregnant Filipina who successfully delivered baby boy by caesarian on February 19.

The mother was diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia upon admission.

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque called this “the most wondrous gift”.

Both mother and baby remain stable and in good health.

The inflight services director of the plane that fetched the first batch of Filipino repatriates likewise thanked everyone in the repatriation team saying that the “job is not easy.”

“There’s a good reason for the term ‘growing pains as we grow with the new (for many of us) experience,” the airport official added.

Apart from the 30 Filipinos from Wuhan, six plane crew members were also quarantined, along with three ground personnel, five DOH medical team members, and five DFA rapid response team members.

The World Health Organization has declared coronavirus a “public health emergency of international concern” which the Philippines and its government under the leadership of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte handle with prudence and compassion, anchored on the safety and security of the health of Filipinos.

The first repatriation mission is a collaboration of different line agencies of the government which includes the DOH which heads the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The group was repatriated on February 9 from central China’s Wuhan City, the epicenter of Covid-19 outbreak.

The repatriates received certifications of quarantine completion from DOH and were given financial assistance from the DFA, OWWA, and Department of Social Welfare and Development.

In recognition of their invaluable contributions to this mission, the DOH issued a resolution recognizing and thanking the DFA, OWWA, Bases Conversion and Development Authority, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Quarantine, Central Luzon Center for Health Development, the local government unit of Capas, and the DOH hospitals. (PR)