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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DOH: No travel ban for OFWs in India

DOH: No travel ban for OFWs in India

Published Apr 27, 2021 12:14 pm

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said Tuesday, April 27, that there is no travel ban for overseas Filipino workers in India.

People stand in queue keeping social distance beside a COVID-19 awareness scarecrows placed by Chennai municipality at a market during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Chennai on April 11, 2020. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP/ FILE/ MANILA BULLETIN)

India has become the epicenter of the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic as it is currently hit hard by the second wave of the virus. The country reported 352,991 cases on Monday, April 26.

In an interview over CNN Philippines on Tuesday, April 27, Duque said the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) has not reported to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) whether the B.1.617 variant - which was first reported in India - has evolved to become a variant of concern.

"It's still considered as a variant under investigation," Duque said.

"There's already a travel ban for foreigners coming in, so we'll take this out also with the IATF, the matter of our OFWs or ROFs (Returning Overseas Filipinos) coming from India," he added.

According to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), there are 1,200 documented OFWs in India.

Duque reiterated that while there is a ban for foreign travelers from coming to the Philippines, the ban exempts OFWs and ROFs working in India.

"A stricter border control is always something that we have done and consider to intensify," Duque said.

"We have banned foreign travelers from coming in, so the issue on the OFWs will the IATF upon the directive of the Office of the President," he continued.

Duque said that what is important is to ensure that strict quarantine protocols are followed.

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