Consular services for Filipinos living in UAE have been suspended for at least 48 hours after a suspected outbreak of Covid-19 at the offices in Dubai.
An advisory notice to the public that services would be unavailable at the consulate until Monday, January 18, while the premises were disinfected, circulated on social media on Sunday.
Anyone who visited the centre at Al Qusais 3 recently was advised to seek a PCR test for Covid-19 and take the necessary precautions until results were received.
“The premises will be thoroughly disinfected in those days to ensure the health and safety of our clients,” a notice from the Consulate General read.
“Those with appointments for the period that the consulate is closed will be contacted directly through their registered email address.”
Officials called for calm. It is understood consular employees have been tested for the virus.
Those in need of urgent attention were advised to contact the consulate’s WhatsApp number of 056 417 7558 or call the Assistance to Nationals hotlines of 056 501 5755 or 056 501 5756.
Drive through testing centre in Dubai:
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A medic tests a passenger in the back of a taxi at the drive-through screening centre at Mina Rashid in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Staff at Dubai's Mina Rashid centre test drivers. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
People wait to be tested for Covid-19 at City Walk's drive-through screening centre in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Drivers queued for at least two hours to be swabbed. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Mina Rashed screening centre manager Dr Mohanna Hasan said most people were getting tested to enter Abu Dhabi or to fly abroad. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The work is difficult in the heat as medics work their way through hundreds of cars. Chris Whiteoak / The National
