IATF allows cruise ships to dock in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign cruise ships carrying Filipino crewmembers will be allowed to dock in Manila, subject to quarantine guidelines to be issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Cabinet Secretary and concurrent IATF spokesman Karlo Nograles said yesterday.

He also revealed that the IATF has already approved Resolution No. 24 which provides that “foreign cruise ships carrying Filipino crew shall be allowed to dock in ports in Manila and to be used as a quarantine facility for said Filipino crewmembers, subject to the guidelines to be issued by the member agencies of the Sub-Task Group for the Repatriation of Overseas Filipino Workers pursuant to their respective mandates.”

The foreign crew onboard the foreign cruise ships “shall be allowed to disembark in Manila for the sole purpose of taking outbound flights to their final destination abroad.” Also, they will be allowed to leave the country after completing the 14-day mandatory quarantine upon disembarkation.

At a virtual presser yesterday, Nograles said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that two ships used as quarantine facilities have already begun operations.

“The PCG kicked off the operations of the quarantine ships by welcoming 90 repatriated Filipino seafarers from South Korea, Indonesia and Qatar last Tuesday,” he said.

After proper screening, the seafarers were provided with individual room accommodations for the mandatory quarantine. Those with hotel bookings, as arranged by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), will stay in the hotels.

Since the outbreak, OWWA has assisted 10,240 stranded workers, transport for 3,347 and temporary shelters for 2,641. It also gave free food packs for 3,688 seafarers.