By Roy Mabasa The Philippine Consulate in Jeddah on Tuesday reported a total of 49 confirmed cases of Filipinos infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) within the western part of Saudi Arabia, five of whom have recovered while two succumbed to the disease. In an interview at the Laging Handa briefing of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID), Consul General Edwin Badajos said 42 of those infected with the virus are still considered “active cases” or are undergoing treatment in hospitals. According to the global COVID-19 monitoring platform Worldometer, the latest total number of coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia is 18,811 with 2,531 recoveries, and 144 fatalities. Due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom, Badajos urged members of the Filipino community to remain vigilant and exercise extra precaution when going out of their residences even when the Saudi government has lifted the curfew in lieu of the observance of Ramadan. “I’m pleading to our kababayans in the western region of Saudi Arabia to be vigilant. The lifting of the curfew does not mean the end of the (COVID-19) crisis,” he said. Badajos also praised many Filipino health workers who are serving as frontliners in Saudi’s own battle against the pandemic even when many hospitals are already over the capacity. “The situation is a bit difficult because many hospitals are already filled with COVID-19 patients who are being prioritized over those with non-essential illness,” the Consul General said. For the thousands of OFWs in Jeddah and surrounding areas, Badajos admitted that many of them have been affected by the “no-work, no-pay” policy” status due to the suspension of private and public establishments. Last March 17, the consulate, along with Filipino community leaders, launched a food drive to help distressed overseas Filipino workers. “So far, we have distributed more than 3,000 food packs consisting of rice, noodles, canned goods, and water to those who are in need,” he added.