Philippines Ban Travelers from Countries with New COVID-19 Variant

[UPDATED as of 1742H] During his inspection of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA / MNL / RPLL) this morning, DOH Secretary and IATF Chairman Francisco Duque announced that the Philippines will ban travelers from countries with confirmed cases of the new COVID-19 variant starting 30 December 2020 at 0001H.

As of this posting, the following countries have confirmed that the new strain of COVID-19 has entered their respective territories:

  1. Australia
  2. Canada
  3. Denmark
  4. France
  5. Germany
  6. Hong Kong
  7. Iceland
  8. Ireland
  9. Italy
  10. Israel
  11. Japan
  12. Lebanon
  13. Netherlands
  14. Singapore
  15. South Africa
  16. South Korea
  17. Spain
  18. Sweden
  19. Switzerland
  20. United Kingdom

Sec. Duque, however, clarified that returning Filipinos (both OFWs and non-OFWs) are exempted from this inbound travel ban, which will be in effect until 15 January 2021.

Outbound travel to countries with reported new variants shall be subject to the exiting protocols of the Philippines and the entry protocols of the respective countries.

UPDATE: According to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), passengers already in transit or who had been in any of the flagged countries within 14 days from entry into the Philippines and who arrive before 30 December 2020 will still be allowed entry but shall be subjected to strict quarantine and testing protocols, despite getting a negative RT-PCR result.

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