DMW: 38 Philippines seafarers to undergo quarantine

MANILA, Philippines, May 12 ------ Thirty-eight Filipino crew members of MV Hondius, which was hit by hantavirus, are set to undergo quarantine in the Netherlands, according to the Department of Migrant Workers.

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said 24 hotel workers on the cruise ship would be brought to the Netherlands for a 42-day quarantine. “Upon arrival on Canary Islands, there will be a repatriation flight that has been coordinated with the shipowner based in the Netherlands. The quarantine will last up to six weeks,” Cacdac said on Sunday.

He said the remaining 14 Filipino seafarers, who serve as the vessel’s deck and engine crew, would undergo quarantine once the ship docks at the port of Rotterdam. Cacdac said the Filipino crewmen would be fully compensated while undergoing quarantine. “They will continue to receive their salaries and entitlements under their contract,” he said.

Cacdac said the DMW, through its AKSYON Fund, would also provide assistance to the seafarers. “After the six-week quarantine period, all 38 seafarers will return to the Philippines,” Cacdac said. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said the Philippines is not listed among the countries affected by hantavirus. “The seafarers were just exposed. If they will not exhibit any symptoms, that means they are negative (of the virus),” Herbosa said.

Source: philstar.com