(Eagle News) — The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has updated the country’s “red list” to include four other countries.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said now also considered high-risk for COVID-19 are Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Serbia, and Slovenia.
According to Roque, the travel restrictions on those countries will end on Sept. 30.
Earlier, the Palace said Azerbaijan, Guadeloupe, Guam, Israel, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Saint Lucia, and Switzerland were under the Philippines’ “red list,” which means travelers from those areas within 14 days preceding arrival in the Philippines will be banned from entering the country.
The travel restrictions covering those nine countries are expected to be lifted on Sept. 18.
The following countries, meanwhile, are on the Philippines’ “green list”:
- American Samoa
- Anguilla
- Australia
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Cayman Islands
- Chad
- China
- Comoros
- Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Equatorial Guinea
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- Gabon
- Grenada
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Mali
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Montserrat
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Niger
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Poland
- Saba
- Saint Pierre
- Miquelon
- Sierra Leone
- Sint Eustatius
- Slovakia
- Taiwan
The Bureau of Immigration has said, however, that travelers from these countries on the “green list” don’t automatically qualify for entry into the Philippines.
The bureau said even then, “only Filipinos, balikbayans, and foreigners with valid and existing visas are allowed to enter the Philippines.”
Those holding tourists visas remain restricted from entering, the bureau said.
