(Eagle News) — The Philippines has added six countries to its list of countries subject to travel restrictions following reports of the more infectious COVID-19 variant there.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said foreign travelers coming from or who have been to Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, and Brazil within 14 days preceding arrival in the Philippines will be refused entry to the Philippines starting 12:01 a.m. of January 8.
Foreigners who arrive before January 8 will be required to undergo a facility-based 14-day quarantine, regardless of a negative RT-PCR test result.
According to Roque, Filipinos will be allowed entry but should undergo screening for COVID-19 and the 14-day quarantine in a facility.
Filipino minors who are unaccompanied and come from countries and jurisdictions where travel restrictions are in place will not be allowed entry from January 8 to January 15.
Minors arriving in the Philippines through the Philippine government’s repatriation program are exempted.
“These repatriated minors shall be turned over to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration house parent who, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), shall ensure the minors’ safety and their observance of quarantine protocols,” Roque said.
All unaccompanied minor Filipino citizens who are not part of the repatriation program of the government and who arrive before January 8 will be turned over to an authorized officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The DSWD officer shall ensure the minors’ safety and their observance of quarantine protocols.
With the addition of the six countries, the Philippines now has 27 countries on its list of countries with travel restrictions.
Apart from the six, the countries on the list are:
- Denmark
- Ireland
- Japan
- Australia
- Israel
- The Netherlands
- Hong Kong
- Switzerland
- France
- Germany
- Iceland
- Italy
- Lebanon
- Singapore
- Sweden
- South Korea
- South Africa
- Canada
- Spain
- United States
- United Kingdom
The ban in these countries is in effect until January 15.
The Department of Health has said as of January 2, the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom has not yet been detected in the Philippines.
