Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 13) — The Philippine diplomats in Germany are keeping an eye on nine Filipino nurses who have tested positive for COVID-19.
“Sa ngayon po meron po tayong minomonitor na siyam na katao, lahat po sila mga frontliners, mga Filipino nurses na nagtatrabaho po dito sa Germany na positive po sa COVID pero sa kabutihan naman po, mild lang po ang sintomas nila — meron nga hong dalawa na asymptomatic,” Ambassador Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega said Monday.
[Translation: Right now we are monitoring nine people, all of them are frontliners, Filipino nurses working here in Germany who are positive for COVID, luckily they have mild symptoms — two are even asymptomatic.]
De Vega said the patients who are asymptomatic are waiting for their quarantine period to finish so they can be tested again.
The ambassador said they were checking in daily with the Filipino patients, who are covered by Germany’s national insurance system.
“Dito po kasi karamihan, halos lahat ng permanent resident at mga citizen na po, pati ang mga estudyante pati ang may mga work permit, naka-enroll po sila lahat sa national insurance system. Kaya covered po sila ng mga ganyang gastusin,” she said.
[Translation: Here, nearly all permanent residents at citizens, as well as students and those with work permits are enrolled in the national insurance system. So they are covered from those expenses.]
De Vega also said they have yet to receive repatriation requests from Filipinos in the European country, but were helping Filipino seafarers employed by German companies so they could go back home.
The German government was still issuing tourist visas, but has advised foreign nationals to return home at the soonest possible time as policies in the European Union often change due to the current situation, she added
“Napaka-fluid po kasi ng sitwasyon,” the ambassador said.
[Translation: The situation remains very fluid.]
As of Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said there were 651 Filipinos abroad with COVID-19.
