MANILA--Some 59,000 overseas Filipinos have been repatriated since COVID-19 raged across the world in February, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

Of this number, 31,688 are sea-based while 27,353 are land-based, with the most recent repatriates arriving from Barbados, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the UAE, the DFA said in a statement.

The DFA said it has also assisted in the safe return of a baby who recently underwent a liver transplant in India and got stranded with her parents due to a lockdown rule.

They were included in a special repatriation flight from New Delhi on June 23.

The Philippine government also worked closely with the governments of Papua New Guinea and Myanmar in arranging special sweeper flights to bring home almost 170 stranded Filipinos there.

"Overseas Filipinos who wish to seek assistance in repatriation may contact the nearest Philippine embassy or consulate in their area," the DFA said.