Filipinos' situation in China stable despite spike in COVID-19 cases — PH ambassador

By RICHA NORIEGA, GMA Integrated News Published January 7, 2023 5:48pm The situation of Filipinos in China remained stable despite the increase in COVID-19 cases there, Philippine Ambassador to Beijing Jaime FlorCruz said Saturday. At a media forum, FlorCruz said he has not received reports of Filipinos getting severe infections. "Marami po sa kanila ay bumabalik na sa kanilang trabaho. Iyong mga taga-Shanghai, ang balita ko po ay okay naman, although maraming nagkasakit pero naka-recover na po," he said. (Many of them have returned to their offices. The Filipinos in Shanghai, I heard, are in good condition, although many caught the virus but have since recovered.) On imposing stricter border curbs, the ambassador underscored the importance of mitigating the risk without being discriminatory. Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier said there was no need yet to impose more restrictions on travelers coming from China. The DOH directed its units to maintain "heightened surveillance," particularly on travelers arriving from China amid the spike in COVID-19 cases in the East Asian country. China is experiencing a spike in infections after years of harsh COVID restrictions were loosened in December. Based on current protocols, foreign travelers who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are required to present a negative pre-departure antigen or RT-PCR test result before travel or upon arrival in the Philippines. The DOH said those who are unable to present a negative test result are tested upon arrival at the airport. —VBL/KG, GMA Integrated News

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