Foreign visitors are still prohibited from entering the Philippines, with the exception of diplomats and foreign spouses of Filipino nationals, who are granted special visas.
From September 6, the Philippines will lift the travel ban for all inbound visitors from ten countries, including India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The ban, which was imposed in April and expanded to more countries in July to avoid the spread of the extremely contagious Delta version of the coronavirus, will be lifted on Monday, according to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has approved the Covid-19 task force’s suggestion to ease travel restrictions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Travelers from these ten countries will be required to spend 14 days under quarantine upon arrival, according to Roque.
Roque said in a statement, “International travellers coming from the above-mentioned countries shall, however, comply with the appropriate entry, testing, and quarantine protocols.”
Foreign visitors are still barred from entering the nation, with the exception of diplomats and foreign spouses of Filipino residents who have special visas.
The Philippines is dealing with a surge in Covid-19 infections, with 2,040,568 cases documented as of Friday, including 33,873 deaths. On Friday, the Philippines’ Department of Health reported a total of 20,310 new Covid-19 infections. The caseload is the second-highest single-day total since the coronavirus pandemic began in January of last year, as per data.
As the variant’s local transmission has expanded to communities, the country has recorded 1,789 Delta cases, with 33 deaths among them. The Delta form is now the prevalent Covid-19 strain circulating in the Philippines, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
Due to the spread of the Delta and other coronavirus strains, health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire has warned that the number of Covid-19 cases will continue to rise. She further claimed that local governments have implemented granular lockdowns in Metro Manila and other virus-infected areas across the country to stop Covid-19 from spreading.
After Indonesia, the Philippines has the second highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia. Hospitals have been inundated with Covid-19 cases caused by the Delta variant, even as healthcare professionals protested against what they called government neglect and unpaid benefits.
– India’s new age travel digital media
