Philippines Imposes Travel Ban On 7 More Countries Over Omicron Variant
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published November 29, 2021 | 02:49 PM
The Philippines on Sunday imposed travel restrictions on seven European countries to keep out the potentially more contagious new coronavirus variant Omicron, a government spokesman said on Sunday
MANILA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Nov, 2021 ) :The Philippines on Sunday imposed travel restrictions on seven European countries to keep out the potentially more contagious new coronavirus variant Omicron, a government spokesman said on Sunday.
Cabinet Secretary and acting Presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy are placed under the "red list" effective from Sunday until Dec. 15.
The Philippines has flagged 14 countries and regions with reported Omicron cases so far. On Friday, it also suspended flights from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique.
"Inbound international travel of all persons, regardless of vaccination status, coming from or who have been to red list countries or jurisdictions or territories within the last 14 days prior to arrival to any port of the Philippines shall not be allowed," Nograles said in a statement.
He said only Filipinos returning via government-initiated or non-government-initiated repatriation may be allowed entry subject to the prevailing entry, testing, and quarantine protocols for high-risk countries or regions.
Nograles said passengers already in transit and all those who have been to the seven European countries within 14 days immediately preceding arrival to the Philippines and arriving before 1:00 a.m. local time of Nov. 30 shall be allowed entry.
These travelers must undergo facility-based quarantine for 14 days with testing on the seventh day, regardless of a negative RT-PCR swab result.
On the other hand, Nograles said passengers who have already arrived before Sunday are currently undergoing quarantine according to the classifications of their country of origin and their respective testing and quarantine protocols.
Travelers, whether Filipinos or foreign, that merely transited through the flagged countries and stayed at the airport the whole time will be allowed to enter but must comply with existing testing and quarantine protocol.
The government also suspended the entry of fully vaccinated nationals or tourists coming from low-risk, non-visa-required countries or regions.
With the emergence of Omicron, the Philippines vowed to strengthen the local COVID-19 response to tackle the new variant.
The government urged the local government units to heighten their alert for increasing and clustering of cases and to emphasize the need for active case finding.
It also required local authorities to immediately conduct contact tracing and isolation of cases detected from case surveillance among the community, including domestic and international travelers, and to use RT-PCR testing to allow for whole-genome sequencing of collected samples.
The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 838 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, pushing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 2,831,807.
The country has recorded fewer than 1,000 daily cases for five straight days, and 156 more people have died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the country's death toll to 48,361.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Punjab CM inaugurates Pakistan’s first Virtual Women Police Station
Dutch model Donny Roelvink embraces Islam
Experts raise concerns over introduction of 10-stick packs
Iranian president arrives in Karachi
Law Minister expresses Govt's resolve to address issue of missing persons
Rizwan’s batting order may be changed: Sources
Nawaz Sharif to visit Guangzhou exhibition in China
FM Dar not traveling to China: Foreign Office
PM takes notice of deliberate delay in tax cases
Iranian President visits Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum
Iranian President arrives in Lahore today
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 23 April 2024
More Stories From World
-
Asia hit hardest by climate change, extreme weather: UN weather agency
10 minutes ago -
Migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti leaving 21 dead
6 hours ago -
Tesla profits tumble 55% as EV sales under pressure
6 hours ago -
Talks on global plastic treaty begin in Canada
7 hours ago -
Migrant deportations loom after parliament passes UK-Rwanda plan
7 hours ago -
Macron in last-ditch bid to halt EU vote battering
7 hours ago
-
Ukraine moves to bring military-aged men home to fight
9 hours ago -
Asia hit hardest by climate change, extreme weather: UN weather agency
9 hours ago -
Muscles and masterpieces: Louvre offers Olympic sport sessions
9 hours ago -
Migrant boat capsizes off Djibouti leaving 16 dead
9 hours ago -
UK Rwanda law sparks fear among migrants hoping to cross Channel
11 hours ago -
China issues highest-level rainstorm warning after deadly floods
11 hours ago