Epidemic will slow down OFW traffic, says analyst

MANILA, Philippines — The coronavirus epidemic is threatening to slow down the deployment of Filipino workers overseas, according to a labor recruitment analyst.

Emmanuel Geslani, the recruitment analyst, said on Sunday that the epidemic would have an impact on the deployment of workers, particularly to the Middle East and other countries in Asia.

He cited Saudi Arabia, which had restricted the entry of workers due to the health threat, and Kuwait, which has banned flights from the Philippines and seven other countries.

Shipping crew from the Philippines, he said, might also be affected, with several cruise operators canceling tours.

Cruises canceled

Geslani noted that Princess Cruises had canceled 12 cruises scheduled until March 20, while Royal Caribbean had canceled eight China cruises.

Even cargo ships with Filipino crew are expected to reduce their trips with countries like China implementing lockdowns, which Geslani said practically stopped the import and export of products.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Sunday that Filipinos who were stranded in airports in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar due to travel bans would get government assistance.

The Philippine embassies in Abu Dhabi and Doha and the Consulate General in Dubai “received reports of transiting Filipinos enroute to Kuwait who might be stranded in airports” due to the travel ban imposed by Kuwait late last week.

The DFA said the embassies and the Consulate General were checking the international airports for Filipinos who may be stranded.

The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait also said it was assisting Filipinos who were stranded at the international airport when the ban was imposed on Friday.

Kuwait suspended all flights to and from the Philippines and seven other countries—Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka—as a precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus in Kuwait.

Following the ban, the Philippine Embassy advised Filipinos to postpone travel to and from Kuwait until March 14.

As of Saturday, Kuwait had 58 confirmed cases of the coronavirus while the Philippines had six, of which three are Filipinos. There are more than 240,000 Filipinos in Kuwait.

Work arrangements

Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) urged employers to heed the call of the Department of Labor and Employment for them to adopt flexible work arrangements amid the coronavirus threat.

Such arrangements would “keep the operation of the business afloat” and “keep the production of the enterprise viable without reducing the wages and benefits and without damaging the rights and welfare of the workers,” TUCP president Raymond Mendoza said in a statement on Sunday.

Earlier, the labor department released guidelines for companies adopting flexible work arrangements rather than shutting down operations or laying off workers during the epidemic.—Reports from Julie M. Aurelio and Dona Z. Pazzibugan