MANILA, Philippines — The on-ground repatriation team of the Department of Foreign Affairs is currently in the travel-restricted Wuhan, the ground zero of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Acute Respiratory Disease outbreak, finalizing preparations in order to bring stranded Filipinos home this weekend.
At least 56 have confirmed their intent to join the repatriation flight, the Foreign Affairs Department said in a Saturday release.
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Upon their arrival in the Philippines, previously said to be expected on early Sunday morning, the repatriated Filipinos will be brought to the Athlete's Village in New Clark City in Tarlac for a two-week mandatory quarantine with the Department of Health's guidance.
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Health Secretary Francisco Duque III previously said that one room will be allotted per person for safety and convenience, with rooms in the facility to accommodate a family of three.
The movement of the quarantined people shall be limited to the building only, and packed lunch will be served and prepared for them every day within the facility," he said in a Thursday press briefing.
"By the way, the rooms have televisions. Each one of them. And a refrigerator, air conditioner, it's such a nice place. Very nice rooms. And we believe nothing less should be provided to our kababayans, OFWs.”
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Mark Anthony Geguera and Sanny Darren Bejarin of the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai met with the Filipino community in Wuhan on Saturday, along with the Foreign Affairs Office in Hubei Province to discuss the details of the repatriation.
"We already have our DFA team inside Wuhan City and they are there working on the ground preparing for the repatriation of our OFWs. They're taking great personal risk for the sake of our kababayans and I salute them for that," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said in an earlier statement.
The team hired a vehicle to distribute grocery items and other relief goods in Wuhan neighborhoods with identified Filipino residents.
Geguera and Bejarin, in charge of the team facilitating the operation, are also in close coordination with another team from the DFA Home Office set to fly into Wuhan to assist with repatriation efforts.
The Philippines' Civil Aeronautics Board in late January ordered the suspension of flights between Wuhan and the Philippines in response to the 2019 nCoV ARD outbreak.
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The capital city of China’s Hubei Province is also on lockdown in order to prevent the spread of the virus, which has at least 31,481 confirmed cases globally, according to the latest World Health Organization situational report.
Almost all of the cases (99.14%) are in China, with 270 infections in 24 other countries.