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PHILIPPINES authorities on Wednesday signaled plans to add the United States to the list of countries and territories covered by a temporary travel ban in a bid to prevent the entry of a more transmissible variant of Covid-19 first detected in the Kingdom. United.
The United States was not on the list of 20 places covered by the expanded ban on Tuesday morning, but on Wednesday morning, health authorities said they were considering including the United States on the list because of another rapidly spreading strain. reported in Colorado. That additional ban could disrupt the travel plans of Filipino-Americans who often visit family members at this time of year.
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said Wednesday during DOH’s Virtual Kapihan with the mediam “Yes, we will include it temporarily [ we will temporarily include the US]. Remember that this is not a permanent ban, it is only a temporary ban, to give us time to assess our situation, to see if this new variant is already here or not.
Duque said that’s part of the policy: a country that has reported that the new variant will be subject to a temporary ban.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) belatedly suspended flights from the United Kingdom arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), restricting the arrival of foreigners from 19 countries in addition to the United Kingdom. The aviation agency had imposed an absolute quarantine period of 14 days for Filipinos, including those already in transit and from countries where the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 was reported.
Caap’s suspension went into effect at 10 a.m. on December 30, and will last until 12 a.m. on January 16, 2021, according to a notice to airmen (Notam).
The Notam echoes the memorandum issued by the Office of the President on Tuesday (December 29), on “additional measures to be observed in relation to the SARS-COV-2 variant detected in the United Kingdom”.
Meanwhile, Filipinos from Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Hong Kong SAR, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada and Spain They are allowed to enter the country, but will have to undergo a more stringent 14-day quarantine at the facility along with the mandatory requirement of a negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
The DFA Council
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has advised foreign and Filipino travelers to reconsider New Year’s travel to the Philippines amid the new entry rules.
“The DFA has strongly advised foreign nationals and Filipinos who intend to come to the Philippines to reconsider their travel plans for a later date,” the agency said Wednesday, citing Malacañang’s December 29 announcement of the extension. until midnight on January 15, 2021. a temporary entry ban on foreign flights and passengers from the UK and 19 other countries and jurisdictions that have reported the incidence of the new strain of coronavirus.
From December 30, 2020 to January 15, 2020, all foreign nationals, regardless of previous Philippine visas and waivers granted, who will fly or have been to the following locations within 14 days of arrival in the Philippines : Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Spain, and the United Kingdom: no entry into Philippine territory will be allowed.
Filipino nationals coming from these areas can still enter the Philippines, but will have to strictly complete the 14-day quarantine requirement at a government facility, even if RT-PCR tests show negative results.
The DFA encouraged those who intend to travel to the Philippines to check with the nearest Philippine embassy or consulate and regularly check the Philippine Immigration Office website and social media sites for the latest information.
