SOME 82 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were repatriated on April 28 with the efforts of the OFW Watch Italy, Task Force Covid-19 and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Consul General Bernadette Theresa Fernandez together with the staff of the POLO-OWWA Milan met with the Filipinos before they were repatriated.
Body temperature and health status of the 82 Filipinos were checked before they were allowed to fly back home.
Social distancing was strictly observed inside the six buses used to bring the Filipinos to Malpensa Airport.
Among the 82, two are expecting mothers, three are students while the rest were displaced workers who boarded the Philippine Airline Airbus A350-941 XWB on their flight back home.
Milan and the North of Italy was the hardest hit during the coronavirus disease (Covid–19) pandemic since February where thousands of Italians and Filipinos were infected by the virus.
In the city of Bergamo, some 37.2 miles from the center of Milan had the biggest Covid-19 infected, death cases recorded and only a few hundreds recovered resulting to a lockdown in the second week of March until April but was extended until May 3, 2020.
According to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the lifting of the lockdown on May 3 will be the 2nd phase of the country’s safety measure program.
Face mask will always be used in public while observing social distancing.
Buses will meanwhile limit their passengers and signages will be placed where passengers should stand inside each cabin on the sub-way trains to maintain distancing.
Some business establishments were allowed to operate particularly restaurants but only in take-out order basis.
Post offices and some banks remain open during the height of the outbreak, which also includes cleaning services companies.
Parks will be open again to the public but social distancing should be observed.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa ating Panginoon at iniligtas niya ako sa sakuna, sa pagtatapos ng lockdown sa Italia, malaking pagbabago ang nakikita ko at hindi na tulad ng dati,” an OFW said. (Chet de Castro Valencia/Contributor)
(Editor’s note: The contributor is a Baguio journalist now based in Italy.)