COVID SURGE ATTRIBUTED TO TESTING OF OFWS

THE Department of Health (DoH) attributed the sudden surge in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 ( Covid- 19) to the testing of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

On Tuesday, the DoH reported that are now entering our data

350 new cases, the highest in a system),” Health Undersecretary

single day since April 6 when the Maria Rosario Vergeire told reporters

country logged 414 new cases. in a media forum.

On Wednesday, May 27, the department But she clarified that not all of

reported 380 new cases, the 350 new cases were OFWs.

bringing the tally to 15,049. “‘Yungkahaponpoaymeron

“Kahaponpo (Tuesday), tumaas ponghalona OFWs kasisabinga

angbilangnatinsa about 350 at natin,nakakadagdagsilangayon

itopoaybugsongmgatestsna samgabilangnatinngmgakaso

naisagawanatinsamga OFWs na ngunitpagtinignannatin, most

pumapasok na ngayon sa of the cases parin aside from

ating data system (Yesterday, our the OFWs came from [ Metro

Covid-19 cases increased by 350 Manila]. ( Included in the data

and we can attribute this to tests yesterday were OFWs and it affected

we have conducted on OFWs the number of cases. But if we look at the data, most of the cases are still in Metro Manila),” she said.

Vergeire added the spike in cases would not affect the flattening of the epidemic curve.

Meanwhile, the official said with 42,000 OFWs expected to be repatriated in two months, the government was planning to decentralize the management of the returning workers by identifying urban centers with airports where they could be flown in.

On Tuesday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) created task force “Hatid Probinsiya” to expedite the return of OFWs to their families.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd also formed task force “Balik Abroad” that will attend to the needs of departing land and seabased workers.

“We are doing this so that we don’t lose the jobs for our

OFWs, while at the same time we help facilitate the quick homecoming and be of assistance to our returning workers,” Bello said.

The task groups are housed in a central command center manned by the heads of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and DoLE’s International Labor Affairs Bureau.

The center will be supervised by former Labor secretary Marianito Roque and assisted by three Labor undersecretaries.

About 24,000 OFWs have been kept in government quarantine facilities since their return to the country.

Around 16,000 more migrant workers are expected to arrive in the coming days.