THE PHILIPPINES has suspended the deployment of newly hired migrant Filipinos to Jordan due to risks from the coronavirus.
In an advisory dated Dec. 10, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said it would suspend the verification of employment documents of Filipinos going to the Middle Eastern country.
The POEA cited the “pandemic situation in Jordan, which poses health, safety and labor risks to new workers.”
The agency issued the order on the advice of Philppine Ambassador to Jordan Akmad Atlah Sakkam.
Workers directly hired by members of the Royal Hashemite Court, international organizations and diplomatic corps are exempted from the deployment bad, the POEA said.
Workers with employment contracts issued by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Jordan before March 15 are also exempted, it said.
More than 257,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Jordan, with 3,335 deaths, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization (WHO). — Gillian M. Cortez