People in Philippines wear face masks (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippines decided to suspend all incoming passenger flights for one week from May 3 to help reduce pressure on quarantine facilities which are housing thousands of Filipino repatriates.
Millions of Filipinos work abroad, with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Singapore and Qatar among the most popular destinations.
Some 24,000 have already returned home, with the majority losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those returning are required to complete a 14-day quarantine at centres built or re-purposed by the government that are now filled to capacity.
The Philippines has converted several convention centres, ships, hotels, and government facilities into quarantine centres as the number of people infected with the coronavirus has risen.
However, outbound flights will be allowed to continue, including those flying stranded foreigners out of the country.
As of May 3, the country had reported over 9,200 cases and 607 deaths./.
VNA
