POEA Cites Designated COVID-19 Testing Hospitals for Seafarers to Korea

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said that the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines has issued its list of designated COVID-19 testing facilities for all seafarers entering Korea on vessels.

POEA said that this is as part of Korea’s stricter implementation on the submission of PCR or polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19 certificates. The PCR certificate, POEA explained, is “among the requirements for entry visa to Korea for seafarers from the Philippines.”

This requirement, POEA said, is also part of the health protocol of the South Korean government to control and prevent the spread of COVID-19 cases among seafarers. POEA said that the embassy-designated hospitals include St. Luke’s Medical Center in BGC Taguig and Quezon City, Makati Medical Center, Manila Doctor’s Hospital, The Medical City, Lung Center of the Philippines, Baguio Medical Center, PRI Medical Center, The Medical City Clark, ARC Hospital, University of Cebu Medical Center, QualiMed Hospital, and Divine Word Hospital.

POEA said that starting Sept. 8, 2020, the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) “will impose penalties to seafarers on the following violations, including the submission of PCR certificates where issuance date is over 48 hours before the departure date; submission of PCR certificate issued by non-designated hospitals, and submission of forged, altered of fake PCR certificates.”

The POEA also reminded that non-submission of PCR certificate is also counted as violation. “Seafarers who will violate the said regulations would be incarcerated up to one (1) year or fine up to 10 million won,” the agency said.

POEA also warned that those who will violate the said health and safety protocols will “face restriction on the future entry of ships charged with the above-mentioned violations.”

SOURCE: MANILA BULLETIN