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Thousands of Filipinos stranded in stadium

Aug 8, 2020
1 min read

Updated: Aug 22, 2020

by Pauline Palacio

Thousands of Filipinos were crammed and kept for testing before being allowed to go back to their respective provinces inside Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last July 25.

Officials expected 7,500 people to arrive at the stadium by Friday, but another 2,000 people who were not yet scheduled to travel headed there anyway.

Assistant Secretary Joseph Encabo, overseer of the program, said the LSIs (locally stranded individuals) at the stadium would undergo rapid testing for COVID-19 and must be cleared before being allowed to board transportation modes the government has prepared.

The officials had planned for the LSI to stay in the stadium before transporting them back to their home provinces under the government's "Hatid Tulong" program.

PAUWIIN NIYO NA KAMI. Filipino OFW’s take shelter under the NAIA expressway due to the flights being canceled by the Coronavirus. They were later taken to a Pasay school. © Lopez

“Because of the overflowing number of people, we can no longer control (the situation) and the relevance of social distancing had been diminished,” Encabo noted.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año noted that just like the previous batch that was transported back, the comfort and safety of the LSIs now will be ensured through the transportation modes the government prepared.