THE Philippine government through the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Wednesday has extended its travel ban on seven countries including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka until July 31.
This is the fifth time the travel ban has been extended in order to curb the entry of the more transmissible Delta variant first detected in India.
Before this, some stranded OFWs in the UAE were already complaining about their flights being cancelled beyond the travel ban expiration.
OFW named May said she’s been constantly monitoring recent developments regarding the travel ban only to find out on Monday that her July 26 flight would not push through again.
“Walang katapusang travel ban. Maglagay naman kayo ng time frame para di kami asa ng asa. Kinsenan katapusan ang siste,” the dismayed OFW wrote with screenshots of her four cancelled flights.
Another OFW named Gemma said: “Grabe nakakaiyak. Cancelled na naman ang flight ko sa July 19 kahit hindi pa alam kung extended ang travel ban.”
“Advance mag-isip. Wala pa man announcement ang IATF, e nag-cancel na agad alam naman na ata nila kung ano na naman ang desisyon ng IATF,” an OFW wrote on a Facebook group dedicated for stranded Filipinos in the UAE.
Earlier this month, the IATF has approved the conduct of special commercial flights exclusively for overseas Filipinos in the UAE, Oman and countries under travel restrictions.
A special working group composed of various government agencies would determine the protocols for the special commercial flights, in coordination with the concerned airlines.
“The IATF authorized the conduct of special commercial flights to bring home stranded Filipinos in Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other countries where there are travel restrictions imposed,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.
The special working group would be composed of the Department of Health, the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its One-Stop Shop, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Department of Tourism.
“The special commercial flights, which must have prior approval from the SWG, shall likewise be exclusive for Filipinos,” Roque added.
“The guidelines on the implementation of exemptions for the Philippine government and non-Philippine government repatriation shall be followed,” Roque continued.
