Only fully vaccinated overseas visitors will be able to travel to the Philippines from February 16.
Only foreigners who have been immunized at least 14 days before travel will be allowed entry into the Philippines, acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles has been quoted as saying.
However, this does not apply to Filipino citizens, and there are other exemptions, media reports said.
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Exemptions to the new mandated vaccination rule for foreigners include diplomats and their dependents, children, and people who can’t be vaccinated for health reasons.
Most international tourism to the Philippines has been suspended and tourism visas are not being issued owing to the global pandemic.
Due to rising cases of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, a plan to reopen to fully vaccinated tourists from countries on the green list on December 1 has also been put on hold.
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Only a small demographic of foreigners can currently visit the Philippines. From February, they will need to be fully vaccinated.
People with pre-existing visas, those registered under the Balikbayan Programme as former Filipino citizens, their foreign spouses or children, and those with a special resident or retiree visa or an entry exemption document issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs are covered under the plan.
