Two repatriated Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) on Sunday gave birth while still undergoing a mandatory 14-day quarantine for balikbayans and locally stranded individuals.
According to Dr. Yul Lopez, the Capitol’s spokesperson on coronavirus disease (COVID) 2019-related matters, both OFWs were transported to the Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in Tagbilaran City where they gave birth.
Both women who were among the hundreds of OFWs quarantined in resorts in Panglao started to show signs of being in labor prompting health authorities to take them to the hospital.
“Sanglit wala may facility sa pagpanganak sa hotel, we safely got the two pregnant women na naglabor na og sugod, inubanan sa atong nurses and doctor-supervised gidala sila safely through an ambulance,” Lopez said.
The women gave birth to a girl named Marcela and a boy named Clay at 3:35 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively.
Both newborns were healthy and there were no complications during delivery, Lopez said.
The women on Monday were transported to their hometowns of Tubigon and Talibon where they will continue their quarantine under the supervision of their respective local government units.
“The mother and the child are in transit, amo nalang gidala sa ilang lungsod, sa ilang municipal quarantinbe facility aron mahataga siya og pag-alim, pagtagad, pagpangga sa Rural Health Unit (RHU) of Talibon and Tubigon,” Lopez said.
Lopez assured that the women were well taken care of by their towns’ RHUs.
According to the health official, both women had tested negative in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests prior to their arrival in the province.
Bohol has been receiving the entry of hundreds of OFWs in the past few weeks as part of the national government’s initiative to facilitate the return of balikbayans to their hometowns from urban centers particularly Metro Manila.
The provincial government, in turn, has mandated the returning OFWs to undergo 14-day quarantine immediately upon arrival in the province before returning to their homes.