148 OFWs undergo 14-day quarantine on floating facility

FILE: The two (2) private passenger vessels commissioned by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to serve as temporary quarantine ships are now ready to accommodate returning seafarers and other Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) starting Sunday, 12 April 2020. (Photo: Department of Transportation/Facebook)

MANILA – A total of 148 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and seafarers who are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine have been placed on floating quarantine facilities docked here.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) communications officer Joy Dianne Gumatay said on Thursday the repatriates are from South Korea, Indonesia, Qatar, the United States, and Taiwan.

She said each individual was given accommodation that strictly follows the health and social distancing guidelines by the Department of Health.

“Aside from regular-sized rooms, may bigger rooms rin na good for 4. Nag-construct ng partition sa (there are bigger rooms good for four individuals. Partitions were constructed in) bigger rooms to cater to two repatriates,” Gumatay said.

She added that bunk halls are also used to accommodate more repatriates, with “one person per four layers of bunk beds to ensure social distancing.”

Earlier, the PCG said the first batch of repatriates to use the hospital ships were 90 seafarers from South Korea, Indonesia, and Qatar who arrived at the facility on Tuesday.

The second batch to use the quarantine ships was composed of 48 OFWs from Taiwan and arrived at the facility on Wednesday.

After an initial medical screening, the OFWs were provided their accommodation where they would complete their 14-day quarantine.

Some 75 security personnel and 25 nurses were deployed to manage the quarantine ships and provide medical assistance, food, and other necessities to the repatriates.

Early in April, two passenger ships of 2GO Travel arrived in Manila for conversion into quarantine facility for returning OFWs and seafarers.

The initiative aimed to increase facilities capable of housing persons under monitoring such as repatriates and those who show symptoms with no history of exposure, the PCG said.