Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 22) — At least 61 Filipinos have tested positive for COVID-19 amid the surge in coronavirus infections in Hong Kong, Consul General Raly Tejada said Tuesday.
Of this number, Tejada said 31 have already sought assistance for hospital admission or access to isolation rooms.
“Through the immediate intervention of the consulate and in collaboration with the Hong Kong authorities, our NGO friends, and the Filipino community, I am pleased to report that all of them are safe and have received medical attention and now staying in an isolation facility,” he said during a public briefing.
Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles earlier said that the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) has already provided cash, food packs, and hygiene kits to the workers who caught the virus.
Nograles said POLO also provided $200 financial assistance each to overseas Filipino workers who recently recovered from COVID-19.
Tejada added that some OFWs who were fired from their jobs after getting infected have already returned to their employers.
“I am glad to report po na that through the representation of the consulate, many of those who were initially turned away by their employers are actually back with their employers or went back to their boarding houses,” he said.
