It costs $2m a month to accommodate students in hotels in Philippines

2^nd Philippines flight on 9 December

It has cost the government $500,000 to accommodate students in one hotel in Manila, Philippines whilst awaiting for their repatriation home.

Permanent Secretary of Finance and Treasury McKinnie Dentana revealed the figures today during the COVID-19 Oversight Committee’s Weekly Talkback Show on SIBC.

At the same time, he said the government is currently engaging four hotels to accommodate the students with a cost of $2m a month.

The students had been quarantined for around two months now in the hotels.

Meanwhile the second flight to repatriate students from the Philippines is now confirmed for December 9^th after the earlier flight was cancelled at the last minute due to six positive cases amongst the those booked to fly home on the flight.

Secretary to Prime Minister Dr. Jimmy Rodgers told the weekly Talkback show on SIBC that the flight is confirmed for Manila on the 9^th after another flight to Vanuatu on December 7^th.

PM Sogavare only announced the cancellation of the Manila flight on the eve of the planned flight after six test results of those booked for the flight came back positive.

This will be the second flight to the Philippines following the first one in September that resulted in the country recording its first COVID-19 cases. All have since been negative.

The last flight to repatriate students from the Philippines is in early January.