The authorities in the Philippines have banned travellers from 7 new red list countries till December 15.
The fresh travel restrictions are being imposed effective from November 28, Malacañang announced Sunday.
Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said that the countries added to the “red list”, which are also the list of areas considered as high-risk for COVID-19 are Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy.
The travel curbs in these seven countries will continue until December 15 in addition to those from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique.
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Nograles said in a statement that the inbound international travel of all persons, regardless of vaccination status, coming from or who have been to “red List countries/jurisdictions/territories within the last 14 days prior to arrival to any port of the Philippines shall not be allowed.”
The authorities said that only Filipinos returning to the country through government-initiated or non-government-initiated repatriation and Bayanihan flights may be allowed entry. This will however be subject to the prevailing entry, testing, and quarantine protocols for countries under the red list.
However, the passengers who have been to these countries within 14 days and will arrive before 12:01 a.m. of Nov. 30 shall not be subject to such travel curbs.
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Nograles said that such people are however required to undergo facility-based quarantine for 14 days with testing to be done on the 7th day.
Passengers who have already arrived prior to November 28 are required to complete their respective testing and quarantine protocols.
The authorities also said that the passengers, whether Filipinos or foreigners, merely transiting through the said countries shall not be deemed as having come from or having been to the said country if they stayed in the airport the whole time and were not cleared for entry into such country by its immigration authorities. These people are however still required to comply with existing testing and quarantine protocols. (AW)
