(Eagle News) — The temporary ban on travelers coming from Austria starts today, January 10.
Austria was added to the Philippine list of countries subject to travel restrictions following reports of the South African COVID-19 variant there.
The Bureau of Immigration said the restriction for those coming from the European country started at 12:01 midnight and will be in effect until January 15.
It covers foreign passengers coming from or who have been to Austria 14 days prior to arrival in the Philippines.
The bureau said those who will be merely transiting from the 28 countries will not be required to undergo the 14-day quarantine, but will still have to undergo regular protocols for arriving passengers.
“They will be considered transiting if they merely stayed in the airport, were just there for a layover, and were not cleared for entry by immigration authorities in the said countries,” bureau commissioner Jaime Morente said.
Filipinos coming from the country will be allowed entry, but will be referred to the airport’s one stop shop to “undergo an absolute facility-based 14-day quarantine period, notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR result,” he added.
With the addition of Austria, the number of countries on the Philippines’ list of countries with travel restrictions rose to 28.
