Some Filipinos in Vietnam affected by the increase in COVID-19 cases in the area are calling for help.
In an interview with Teleradyo, Filipino Claude Diaz shared that many Filipinos in Vietnam have lost their jobs due to the lockdowns, which have been in place for two weeks.
“Marami tayong mga kababayan na nangangailangan ng tulong gawa nga ng nawalan sila ng trabaho. Mayroong mga kumpanya at mga paaralan especially sa mga teachers na pansamantalang nagsara kaya hindi nila maiwasang mangamba sa kanilang kalusugan at kanilang trabaho,” said Diaz, who has lived in Vietnam for three years.
“Na kung hindi pa ma-lift itong mga restrictions sa kasalukuyan ay baka hindi pa sila makabalik sa trabaho,” she added.
Vietnam has passed Directive 60, where its residents are not allowed to go out unless the destination is essential such as shopping for food or medicine.
Some Filipinos also wanted to go home, but the repatriation scheduled for July 21 was delayed due to Vietnam’s strict protocols.
The Philippine embassy is also in contact with the Vietnamese government to repatriate the Filipinos.
Vietnam is now experiencing the worst coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak since the pandemic hit.
On Thursday, more than 6,000 new COVID-19 cases were recorded there.
Some Filipinos in Vietnam calling for help due to COVID-19 surge
Last year, Vietnam chose to contain the spread of the virus than to rush in purchasing expensive COVID-19 vaccines.
“The vaccine is a story for the future,” task force chief and deputy prime minister Vu Duc Dam then said.
“Demand is far higher than supply, and we have to pay large deposits to secure our position, which I see as very high risk and a waste of money and time.”
“We will continue to deal with COVID as we are now,” said Dam.
Vietnam has spent nearly 18 trillion dong ($776.7 million) on containing the virus and its impacts, official data shows.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has placed the situation in Myanmar on Alert Level 4 due to the worsening situation of the COVID-19 pandemic there.
In a Facebook post, the Philippine Embassy in Yangon said it had raised the alert level in Myanmar for the safety and welfare of the remaining Filipinos there.