Stranded Filipinos from countries with existing travel restrictions due to incidents of the delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may soon finally be able to come home.
This after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) issued the guidelines for the conduct of “special commercial flights” in the said countries to repatriate stranded Filipinos.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the IATF created a Special Working Group (SWG) to oversee the special commercial flights to be mounted by airline firms.
“The special commercial flights, which must have prior approval from the SWG, shall likewise be exclusive for Filipinos,” Roque said in a news statement.
The members of the SWG include the Department of Health, the Bureau of Quarantine, the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Transportation and its One-Stop Shop, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Tourism.
Roque said the IATF guidelines on the implementation of exemptions would apply passengers of the said special flights.
Last May, the IATF imposed travel restrictions from travelers coming from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, and Oman as part of the government’s efforts to prevent the entry of the delta variant in the country.
The said variant, which is set to be more infectious compared to the regular SARS-CoV-2, has led to the spike of Covid-19 in several countries.
The effectivity of the ban has been extended until July 15, 2021.