The government has included Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the countries covered by its travel ban related to the Indian COVID-19 variant.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the ban will cover those with travel history to these two Middle East countries within 14 days preceding arrival in the Philippines from May 15 to May 31, 2021.
Roque said the restriction will not apply to passengers already in transit from these countries and all those who have been to them prior to May 15, 2021.
They will be required to undergo stricter quarantine and testing protocols just the same, including fourteen-day facility-based quarantine upon arrival, notwithstanding a negative Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) result.
Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) made the decision upon the recommendation of the Department of Health and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
He said the IATF also decided to extend the restriction for passengers coming from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka until May 31, 2021.
“The Department of Transportation should ensure that airlines are directed not to allow the boarding of passengers who are prohibited from entering the country pursuant to travel restrictions imposed by the Office of the President and IATF resolutions except if they are part of the repatriation efforts of the national government,” Roque said.
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