EDITORIAL – Another government folly over Ebola

There are reportedly close to a thousand Filipino workers in the three Ebola-hit west African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and the government is asking them to voluntarily come home. But here is where the problem could arise: How does the government propose to quarantine all of them for 21 days as is the protocol in dealing with travelers from Ebola-stricken areas? And how can the government even make sure all of them are quarantined?

A massive international effort is already in place, both in West Africa and in most individual countries to contain the epidemic. The disease may be centered in West Africa, but it is also there where much of the effort at containment is focused. What that means is that West Africa could also be the safest place right now, provided all the safety protocols are rigidly observed.

In other words, it might be safer right now for anyone already in West Africa to just stay put, provided they remain vigilant for their own safety and health and they keep abreast of all medical bulletins and notices pertaining to the diseases. Having a thousand people from West Africa come home at once involves certain risks the Philippines is clearly not prepared to take.

The call for voluntary repatriation of all Filipinos working in West Africa is the second bad decision the Philippine government has made regarding the Ebola crisis. The first was the proposal by no less than the health secretary to send Filipino medical professionals to West Africa to help combat the disease. Why on earth did the health secretary make that proposal when many countries in Africa itself have declined to do so.

Was it to show our concern for and solidarity with the affected areas? Well, there are many ways to show concern and solidarity without having to actually go there. Just by doing what we can to make sure the disease does not spread is more than enough contribution to the global effort against the disease. More specifically, since we have no real experts to send and expertise to contribute, just getting out of the way is more than help enough.

Thankfully the government eventually saw the folly in volunteering perfectly healthy medical professionals who know absolutely nothing about Ebola. Now a few people heaved a sigh of relief over the change of heart, not the least of which were the medical professionals themselves who had been anxiously crossing their fingers as they awaited the dreadful orders.

But no sooner had the government changed its mind than it would now come up with another folly, this mass repatriation of Filipino workers from West Africa. Look, there is no stopping these OFWs from coming home. But if they do, it will probably in trickles, in numbers that an unprepared country like ours can probably handle. But if government insists on a mass repatriation, we will only be tempting fate and get what we should avoid.