Gov't to repatriate OFWs fired in Hong Kong due to COVID-19

This file photo taken on Feb. 20, 2022 shows police officers (L) checking on whether foreign domestic helpers maintain social distancing on their Sunday rest day in Hong Kong’s Central district, amid the city's worst-ever coronavirus outbreak. Few have suffered more during Hong Kong's pandemic restrictions than the hundreds of thousands of women from the Philippines and Indonesia who work as domestic helpers, and as the city reels under its most severe coronavirus wave to date, many are now at breaking point.

AFP / Bertha Wang

MANILA, Philippines — The government is set to repatriate Filipinos affected by the COVID-19 surge in Hong Kong following reports that some migrant workers in the Chinese administrative region who caught the virus were turned away by their employers.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the repatriation efforts would be led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

"Secretary Lorenzana is now closely coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs and our consulate for the deployment of government air assets, such as our C130s, and/or chartered commercial flights to be sent for those who want to be repatriated," Andanar said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/03/01/2164201/govt-repatriate-ofws-fired-hong-kong-due-covid-19