The Immigration Bureau will no longer allow Filipinos to go to the island destination of Jeju in South Korea amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.
BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said the new travel ban policy was issued by the Korean embassy ordering the suspension of visa-free entry for Filipinos.
“We have already instructed our immigration officers not to allow the departure of any Filipino bound for Jeju unless the passenger was issued a visa by the Korean embassy,” Medina said.
The embassy announced the suspension a day after the country confirmed its first reported death of the coronavirus patient.
Filipinos and other nationalities are all part of the travel ban imposed by Jeju island.
Medina added that almost 300 foreigners were already turned back at the airports as a result of the travel ban imposed on travelers directly arriving from China, Macau, and Hongkong.
“This does not include the ones that did not deplane and reach immigration during the first day of implementation,” Medina added.
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