(Eagle News) – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that it is ready to repatriate by next week Filipinos trapped in Wuhan City, the epicenter of the highly contagious novel coronavirus, as well as in other areas in Hubei province who would opt to return home.
In a statement, the DFA said the first batch of Filipinos would be repatriated next week “subject to China’s rules on disease containment, including immigration clearances, quarantine process, among others.”
“Filipinos in Wuhan City and the rest of Hubei province who wish to be repatriated should contact the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai by 3 February 2020, Monday,” the DFA said.
“Upon arrival in the Philippines, Filipino repatriates will be subjected to 14 days of mandatory quarantine per guidelines of the Department of Health,” the statement added.
On Tuesday, officials said there were roughly 150 Filipinos in Wuhan and another 150 in other parts of Hubei.
A chartered plane will bring the Filipinos home.
Wuhan City in Hubei province is the center of the deadly novel coronavirus. Hubei has the most number of confirmed nCoV-2019 cases at 5,806 confirmed. So far, 204 deaths have been reported in this Chinese province alone.
The death toll due to the deadly coronavirus strain has reached 213, all in China.
The Philippines on Thursday, Jan. 30, confirmed the country’s first novel coronavirus case — a 38-year old Chinese woman who came from Wuhan via a Hong Kong flight. The patient arrived in the country on Jan. 21 and was hospitalized on Jan. 25. She was asymptomatic, according to the Department of Health, as she had no fever but only had a “mild cough.”
There are currently 29 patients still under investigation for nCoV, aside from the one confirmed case who is currently admitted at the San Lazaro hospital. Earlier, another PUI died even before the results of his confirmatory tests came in. The DOH said that the Chinese man from Yunnan province died of pneumnonia. He also tested positive for HIV.
