PH bans travel from UAE, Oman until May 31

The Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force has approved the measure to include UAE and Oman to its list of countries under the temporary travel ban which will be in effect starting May 15.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that individuals who came directly from UAE and Oman, as well as individuals with travel history to these 2 countries within the last 14 days preceding arrival in the Philippines, will not be allowed to enter the country effective 0001H of May 15, 2021 until 2359H of May 31.

Both countries are now added to the growing list of countries of the temporary travel ban that the Philippines has implemented recently – which include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. All travelers coming from the aforementioned countries will not be allowed to enter the Philippines until 2359H of May 31.

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Passengers from UAE and Oman only have until 2359H of May 14 to enter the country. All those who will enter during this time will be subject to a 10-day quarantine at a hotel or a government facility upon arrival, with the remaining four days of quarantine at their home province, if they test negative on the eighth day.

Earlier, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III proposed such stricter border controls for travelers coming from the Middle East in order to prevent a disastrous outbreak of the pandemic due to the Indian variant of COVID-19.

The health official said he recommended the measure to the Inter-Agency Task Force in the wake of the Indian variant or B1617 having been detected in two Filipinos who arrived from the UAE and Oman.

To date, these are the only two cases of the Indian variant which is considered to be a ‘double mutant’ strain of the coronavirus disease.

This is a developing story.