A Journey Back Home: Lived Experience of the Returning Overseas Filipinos in a 14-Day Quarantine Facility

Carie Justine P. Estrellado, Myla M. Arcinas, PhD, Marlon V. Bunyi

Abstract


In outbreak prevention and infection control amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the  Philippine government mandated the returning  Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)  to undergo a 14-day quarantine and isolation upon arrival in the country. In this light, this study utilized Heideggerian existential phenomenology to describe the experiences of OFWs in the quarantine facilities and the meanings they associated with their  14-day quarantine experience. Six purposively selected OFW-informants participated in the study. From the findings, five main themes emerged: (1) concerns and challenges of uncertainties, (2) emotional struggles, (3) process of coping, (4) meanings associated with their quarantine experience, and (5) their trusts and hopes. This study recommends a strengthened psycho-social support program to manage distress among OFWs and provide information and services needed to mount an appropriate response to assisting OFWs in this pandemic.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijhss.13.1.3


Keywords


COVID-19; Overseas Filipino Workers; Quarantine; Phenomenology

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References


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