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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 4) The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi, India assured Filipinos who want to return back home they will be assisted as soon as the travel ban has been lifted.
Speaking to CNN Philippines
The Source on Tuesday, Ambassador Ramon Bagatsing Jr. said up to 70 Filipinos to date have signified their interest to go back to the Philippines. Over 1,200 documented OFWs are currently residing in India.
Alam naman nating meron tayong travel ban (We already know about the current travel ban) and other countries also issued travel bans on India so as soon as this travel ban is lifted, we will have to make plans on how we can repatriate some of our Filipinos who want to go home and at the soonest possible time, Bagatsing said.
Published on: Tuesday, May 04, 2021
By: Philstar
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73 of the around 2,000 Filipinos working or residing in India have contracted Covid-19 of which 2 have died.
MANILA: The Philippines will repatriate Filipinos in India who want to go home when commercial flights resume, Philippine Ambassador to New Delhi Ramon Bagatsing Jr. said .
Bagatsing said there are still no direct flights between India and the Philippines and it is “logistically difficult” to start a repatriation flight since many countries have issued a travel ban on India.
The Philippines barred entry of travellers from India or with travel history to India in the last 14 days to prevent the transmission of a “double mutant” coronavirus strain.
Published May 4, 2021, 12:52 PM
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday warned that the Philippines will implement “hard, long and strict” quarantine requirements for those coming from India once the travel restriction is lifted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus variant which is suspected to be the cause of the unexpected rise of cases in the South Asian nation.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. (Twitter/Teddy Boy Locsin)
Locsin made this warning even as he commended the work of the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi for establishing communication lines with the Filipino community and giving them assistance.
“Great job. I must warn you, even if flights are resumed; the quarantine requirements for them will be especially hard, long and strict. We can’t afford to get the variant,” the foreign secretary said in a tweet.
Manila: Two Filipinos died due to COVID-19 in India, and at least 17 others have contracted the coronavirus as infections spiked, according to the Philippine ambassador.
Speaking from New Delhi, Ramon Bagatsing, Jr. said the Philippine Embassy in India is closed until May 17, 2021 because of the lockdown. However, assistance is being offered remotely and they are keeping in touch with the Filipino community in the country.
Repatriation
The envoy, however, told local media that the embassy will help repatriate Filipino citizens who want to return home when commercial flights resume or when there are enough passengers for a chartered repatriation flight.
Published May 3, 2021, 3:36 PM
Shipment and delivery of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) vaccines from India could begin once the Philippines has completed all the regulatory requirements, Philippine Ambassador to India Ramon Bagatsing Jr. said Tuesday.
“We hope the requirements can be expedited by the regulatory authorities in the Philippines so that it can be brought there,” Bagatsing said during the regular virtual press briefing in Malacañang.
Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine (Bharat Biotech website)
He was referring to the eight million doses of Covaxin, India’s homegrown COVID-19 jabs developed by Bharat Biotech, which was already granted with emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drugs Administration.