The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that no overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have contracted the newly detected Omicron variant of COVID-19.
"Wala pa namang nakakarating saming report na meron tayong kababayan na tinamaan na ng Omicron variant," Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III told DZRH.
(We have not yet received reports of Filipinos hit by the Omicron variant.)
This comes after the variant has been reported in 38 countries as of December 3, according to the World Health Organization.
The Philippines has not yet reported a case of the new variant, but authorities have said it is only a matter of when before it enters the country's borders.
To prepare for it, quarantine restrictions are back for inbound travelers, leading to a balloon of returning OFWs in quarantine hotels.
"Meron na tayong 9,000 OFW na naka-quarantine sa lahat ng mga hotel dito sa Metro Manila," said Bello.
(We now have 9,000 OFWs in quarantine across different hotels in Metro Manila.)
The country also has a travel ban in some countries where there is "high risk" for COVID-19, but the department said stranded OFWs can reach out to DOLE or the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) if they want to go home.
"Kami na po ang magre-repatriate sa ating mga kababayan. Pero bago nga sila dumating ay kailangan mabakunahan sila, ma-PCR test 72 hours bago sila ilipad," said Bello.
(We will repatriate our fellow Filipinos. But before they arrive, they need to be vaccinated and tested for RT-PCR 72 hours before their flights.)
"Magsabi lang sila, meron naman tayong mga Philippine overseas labor office doon. Ngayon kung wala naman, nandyan naman po ang DFA," he continued.
(They just need to tell us, we have Philippine overseas labor offices there. Now if we don’t, we have the DFA.)
Meanwhile, Bello clarified that OFWs are carriers of COVID-19 to the country.
"From our record, 1.5% lang ang umuuwi nating mga kababayaan at tinatamaan ng COVID-19. Hindi po totoo na sila ang nagiging carrier," he said.
(From our record, only 1.5% of those who went home were hit by COVID-19. It is not true that they are carriers.)
"Kasi maalaga yung ating mga OFW. Bago sila aalis doon, nag-PCR test sila. Requirement ng mga airline yan eh," he added.
(Because our OFWs are careful. Before they leave, they submit RT-PCR tests. That’s a requirement of airlines.)
