PAL flies 400+ Filipinos from Diamond Princess to PH

Two chartered Philippine Airlines flights are transporting over 400 Filipino crew members and passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship from Haneda, Japan, to the Philippines.

The first flight departed the Philippines at 11 a.m. and was expected to arrive at Clark Air Base in Pampanga at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

A second chartered plane was scheduled to arrive later that night at 10:40 p.m.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials assisted and processed the repatriates before boarding.

The DFA reported that 80 Filipinos from the cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19, though 10 had already been discharged.

Upon arrival, the repatriates will undergo a 14-day quarantine at New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.

The Department of Health (DOH) is coordinating with various agencies for the repatriation and quarantine efforts.