Only COVID-19 negative OFWs will be allowed back to Western Visayas

MANILA, Philippines — Only overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who will test negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will be allowed back to Western Visayas.

The Western Visayas Regional Task Force COVID-19 of the Regional Disaster Risk and Management Council issued Resolution No. 12 series of 2020, detailing the guidelines on the mandatory testing of OFWs prior to their travel to the region.

Salient points of the resolution were shared by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Western Visayas regional office in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Under the resolution, OFWs are required to submit their COVID-19 real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction test results from their country of origin should it be available.

It added OFWs should undergo an RT-PCR test prior to departure from their immediate point of entry.

“Only those whose results are negative will be allowed to depart and be accepted in Region VI. Only DOH (Department of Health) approved tests shall be accepted as valid results,” according to DILG, citing the document.

OFWs are also required to undergo a 14-day quarantine and should not be showing symptoms of the disease prior to departure from their immediate point of entry.

The DILG said the guidelines were imposed “to ensure the general welfare of the repatriates and ensure the safety of residents in Region VI.”

The latest data from the DOH showed that Western Visayas has recorded 47 cases of infection for COVID-19. Of this number, seven have died and five have recovered.

Nationwide, the number of COVID-19 cases is now at 5,435 as of Wednesday afternoon, with 230 new patients. The death toll is now at 349 while the number of recoveries is at 353.

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