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| Some 253 overseas Filipino workers repatriated from Kuwait undergo medical protocols and check-up at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) when they arrived in Manila early Thursday. Photos courtesy of the Department of Foreign Affairs (Photo from DFA) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] MANILA: The Philippines has lifted the entry ban on Filipino travelers from “red list” countries subject to quarantine protocols, Malacañang said Friday. This, as the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, placed Canada, Saudi Arabia, and 12 other countries under the “red list” from Jan. 16 to 31, PH Inquirer reported.
The IATF has now allowed the “inbound international travel of all persons coming from or who have been” to countries under the “red list” within the last 14 days “prior to arrival to any port” of the Philippines, Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a Palace briefing. Nograles however later clarified that the Philippines is not yet open to international tourists. “The IATF decided that even if they’re coming from red list countries, we will now allow Filipinos to come in as long as they comply with the red list protocols. They need not wait for a Bayanihan flight from the red list countries,” he said.
Travelers coming from the “red list” countries will still be required to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure from the country of origin. Upon their arrival in the Philippines, travelers should undergo a facility-based quarantine and take an RT-PCR test on the 7th day from the date of their arrival.
