THE government continued to restrict, until the end of the month, the entry of inbound passengers from seven countries with rising cases of Covid-19’s Delta variant.
In an online press briefing on Wednesday, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) opted to extend the travel restriction from July 15, 2021 until July 31, 2021.
The restriction covers India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman, where a fresh surge in Covid-19 is being attributed to the Delta variant, which is more infectious compared to the common SARS-CoV-2.
“The IATF ordered the Technical Working Group to study and give the necessary recommendation needed for the testing and quarantine protocols for passengers coming from the said countries and other high-risk areas,” Roque said.
The government first issued a travel restriction for India last April, after it registered the first case of the Delta variant.
The travel restriction was later expanded to include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, UAE, and Oman.
The restrictions, which continued to be extended by the IATF, stranded hundreds of OFWs in the said countries, and many are anxious as to when they could return to the Philippines.
Roque said he will raise to the IATF the matter of the government considering to declare the extension of travel advisories on a monthly basis instead of every 15 days to help OFWs who will need to rebook their flights following the extended travel restrictions.
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