MANILA – No Filipino has so far been reported infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in Sweden, Charge d’ Affaires Raul Dado said Thursday.
“So far, walang may sakit and that is a positive thing (So far, no one has contracted the disease and that is a positive thing). We’re also monitoring their situation,” he said at the Laging Handa briefing when asked about the situation of the Filipino community there.
There are also zero patients under investigation in the country, Dado added.
“The advantage in Sweden is (the) low population density of less than 20 people per square kilometer and a lot of discipline. So there’s natural social distancing,” he said in a separate email.
An estimated 15,000 overseas Filipinos are employed as health workers, engineers, mining professionals, and administrative staff in Sweden. Some of them are working in the fashion, culinary, service, and related industries.
Dado said four Filipino health care workers are set to arrive in Manila by next week after seeking repatriation assistance from the newly reopened Philippine Embassy in Stockholm.
The four have complained about the “unsafe practice” at the clinics they were working in, including the “no masks allowed” rule.
“We reported this to the Swedish government, which has assured us that they will impose masks and protective gear and penalize erring clinics,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dado advised Filipinos in the country to report workplaces that do not practice proper health protocols.
He also assured them that the embassy would facilitate their repatriation should they request it.
Latest data from the World Health Organization showed 30,799 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Sweden, 3,743 of whom have died.
One of the fatalities was Honorary Consul General to Stockholm Erik Belfrage.