MANILA, Philippines — After weeks on isolation and waiting for word from Philippine government on sea, Filipino crew aboard foreign cruise ships finally start their 14-day quarantine period.
Commodore Armando Balilo, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson, in an interview with radio dzMM on Monday morning said in Filipino that “eight foreign cruise ships are waiting for clearance for the disembarkation of their Filipino crew.”
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These cruise ships, from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, laid their anchors at the Manila Bay, with some arriving early last week.
Aboard these cruise ships are some 2,000 Filipino crew members, Balilo said.
“They are not immediately told to disembark because they need clearance from the [Bureau of Quarantine],” he added.
The PCG spokesperson said they received orders from PCG Admiral Joel Garcia to “take care of our countrymen who are coming home.”
“But we are not being complacent because we need to examine them. Our doctors and PCG medical officers are ready to make sure no one is sick,” he added in Filipino.
Supervised quarantine is needed
At least one of these cruise ships spent weeks floating on Philippine waters and in isolation, waiting for permission to dock so their Filipino crew can come home.
Linda* previously told Philstar.com they have not had anyone join their voyage since March and have been practicing social distancing on board their luxury cruise ship.
She shared that they are worried and anxious of their families. Linda said she has not been able to send money to her children in Pampanga for nearly two months because they were not allowed to go ashore even when they were in Australia. That meant no trips to remittance centers.
But these long weeks on sea travel do not count.
Balilo explained: “Based on the regulation being implemented by the [Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases], supervised quarantine is needed. We should be the ones implementing the quarantine.”
“PCG is implementing supervised quarantine,” he added.
The PCG spokesperson also said there are more cruise ships scheduled to arrive, but shipping companies are still coordinating with the Philippine government, Balio added.
He also asked Filipino OFWs who are already in quarantine to strictly follow isolation guidelines. Members of the Philippine National Police and PCG are stationed at the quarantine facilities to observe whether guidelines are followed.
“If you are caught leaving or going out, your quarantine period will be back to zero,” he added.
*The Filipina crew member requested anonymity, citing company policy.