PUBLIC ADVISORY: ON RETURNING OFWS AND FILIPINO CREW FROM FOREIGN CRUISE SHIPS

16 April 2020 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) informs the public that returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), whether sea-based or land-based, will be subjected to a mandatory 14-day facility quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines.

Moreover, foreign cruise ships carrying Filipino crew shall be allowed to dock in ports in Manila and may be used as quarantine facilities for said Filipino crew members, subject to the guidelines to be issued by the member agencies of the Sub Task Group for the Repatriation of OFWs.

The use of the cruise ship as a quarantine site will be determined by the cruise ship's suitability as a quarantine facility and the cruise ship owners' willingness and capability to financially sustain the operation of the quarantine program in their ship.

The above are pursuant to Resolutions No. 23 and 24 issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) dated 13 and 15 April 2020, respectively.

While the DFA works hand-in-hand with various foreign governments and cruise ship companies with regard to the repatriation of OFWs, the quarantine facilities and program will be determined and facilitated by the Department of Health (DOH) and Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ). END