KALIBO, Aklan – Aklanons were urged by Gov. Florencio Miraflores not to fear their returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who can be carriers of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The governor said that the OFWs are also cautious of their health and that they need to go home.
“We must be reminded that we consider the OFWs as heroes for bringing in economic relief for all of us for several years. We must treat them with respect,” said Miraflores.
Recently, five OFWs – all of them seafarers – who arrived in Iloilo City from Manila via a 2GO ship tested positive for COVID-19. The 37 Aklanon OFWs who returned in this province were with them during the trip.
Currently, the said Aklanons are undergoing quarantine for 14 days at a hotel in this capital town.
On the other hand, the Provincial Health Office in Aklan is waiting for the test results for COVID-19 of the OFWs based on their swab samples sent to the Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo City last week.
Jovel Cerezo, a worker of a Cruise Ship based in Germany, posted a video on social media asking fellow Aklanons not to fear for their health.
Cerezo was one of the 688 OFWs who were repatriated by the Department of Foreign Affairs from Germany to Manila last Sunday.
“Before our repatriation flight, we already underwent a 14-day quarantine in Frankfurt, Germany and we expect to do the same now that we are in Manila. We are willing to do whatever the national government tells us to do to ensure that we are not carriers of COVID-19,” Cerezo, a resident of Libacao town said./PN
