Pinoys from China to be quarantined at Clark Athletes’ Village

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines – The Athletes’ Village in New Clark City, venue of the last Southeast Asian Games, will serve as a quarantine facility for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning from China, the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) said yesterday.?

It said the OFWs would stay at the Athletes’ Village, which was placed on lockdown beginning yesterday, for a 14-day quarantine starting on Saturday, when they land at the Clark International Airport here.

The BCDA said the village “was designed to be a resilient metropolis and is ready for any and all situations, including those that concern public health.”

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said at a press conference that they chose the New Clark City because of its strategic location and almost complete facilities, adding that the government is also preparing a facility at Fort Magsaysay, in case there will be more
 repatriates coming from China.

He also said that the government has finalized the protocols and procedures to be implemented when the OWFs arrive.

“We plan to bring back our fellow Filipinos here in the country as seamlessly and efficiently as possible. Procedures were set into place from the moment our OFW kababayans board the plane up until their arrival,” he said.

As planned, the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) will screen the repatriates upon arrival at the Clark International Airport.

Those with symptoms of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) will be immediately admitted at the hospital as patients under investigation (PUIs), while those without symptoms are to board a bus that would transport them to the quarantine facility.

The BOQ will coordinate the disinfection of all the luggage and airplane used. The Center for Health Development in Central Luzon will be in charge of disinfecting the vehicles used for transport.

One room will be allotted per person at the quarantine facility to ensure the patient’s safety and convenience, although the rooms can also accommodate a family of three. 

He said the movement of the quarantined OFWs will be limited within the building and their relatives would be discouraged from visiting them.

Medical teams from five Department of Health (DOH)-accredited hospitals in Central Luzon will be manning the facility and they will be decked for their duties in the quarantine facility.

“We will be providing the needed medical logistics including hygiene kits, disinfectant solutions, transportation and other things that will be needed in the quarantine process,” Duque added.

When the 14-day quarantine period is completed, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will facilitate their discharge from the facility.

The BCDA said “a polyclinic operated by the Philippine General Hospital is located inside New Clark City, just two minutes away from the Athletes’ Village. It is equipped with a 24-hour emergency room facility, primary care and sports medicine, imaging center (x-ray and ultrasound), diagnostic laboratory and pharmacy.”

It also said that “all preventive and precautionary measures are being put in place for our repatriated kababayans, as well as the entire area of New Clark City and its adjacent communities.”

New Clark City is just 30 minutes away from the Clark International Airport.   

Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda said they are ready to host the OFWs who might not be welcome in their own hometowns amid the nCoV scare.

“We’re open (to helping them). We’ll provide the facilities, right personnel to handle them with proper coordination with DOH, Bureau of Quarantine, JBLMRH (Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital) and the provincial government,” Pineda said. 

“If no one wants to accept you, Pampanga is here for you,” he added.

Pineda said Pampanga is very “prepared” for any outbreak as the province has enough trained doctors, nurses and other medical personnel who are ready to provide help should there be nCoV cases as well as the facilities and equipment to do it.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said 45 OFWs have signified their desire to be repatriated and embassy officials are working for the issuance of their exit permits. Of the 45, four have problems with their immigration status.

He added that the Chinese and Philippine governments have agreed on the screening procedures prior to their departure from China – those who will manifest symptoms will be taken to hospital and will not be allowed to board the plane.

While on board, repatriated OFWs will be oriented on the quarantine process and be asked to fill out health cards. Centralized processing of all immigration documents will also be done.

At this time, Dulay said, a team from the DFA is in Wuhan, the epicenter of the nCoV outbreak, to work on the repatriation of the OFWs.

“They are taking the risk talking with Chinese authorities and Filipino community,” Dulay said as he stressed the need for the Philippines to comply with the Chinese protocol in dealing with nCoV.

In case Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija will also be used, the Army said it would secure the perimeter.

“We will control the outside portions of the facilities but right inside, all will be handled by the Department of Health,” said Maj. Gen. Lenard Agustin, commander of the 7th Infantry Division based at Fort Magsaysay.

Although the Nueva Ecija provincial government and a number of residents, citing health reasons, have opposed the idea of using the facility for quarantining, Agustin pointed out that the national leadership has already decided on the issue.

Special flights

Meanwhile, 177 Chinese visitors, who were stuck in the country after Sunday’s imposition of a travel ban, were finally able to leave on board a chartered flight back to China last Wednesday evening, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said yesterday. 

“This might be the first batch of Chinese nationals who want to go home,” said BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval. 

The Chinese nationals, many of whom are tourists, entered the country prior to the imposition of a travel ban to and from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau last Feb. 2. They sought the help of the Chinese embassy when they got stuck after failing to find flights back to their homeland.

Sandoval said the visitors “were experiencing difficulty in booking tickets because there were no longer any outbound flights as the airlines have cancelled commercial flights” to and from China. 

Philippine Airlines (PAL) said it would mount special flights to assist stranded passengers to and from mainland China, especially those who were affected by flight cancellations following the ban.

Cielo Villaluna, PAL spokesperson, said the special flights would serve the Manila-Xiamen-Manila routes and be staffed by the pilots and cabin crew who volunteered for the service. 

The flag carrier plans to use its 199-seater Airbus A321 aircraft for the mission that will enable Filipino citizens and holders of Philippine permanent resident visas to fly back to the Philippines. These outbound flights from Manila will also allow the Chinese and other non-Filipino nationals to return to China via the Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport.

However, Villaluna clarified that these special flights are still subject to final government approval, including the waiver of the Filipino travel ban for concerned pilots and cabin crew who will have to submit to home quarantine for 14 days after their return to the Philippines. 

PAL currently has 64 crewmembers who are undergoing the mandated 14-day quarantine after flying from China prior to the imposed travel ban. –  With Mayen Jaymalin, Evelyn Macairan, Ric Sapnu, Rudy Santos, Pia Lee-Brago