(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation to extend the travel restrictions in 10 countries with high Delta variant cases, namely India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia until the end of the month.
The travel restrictions were supposed to end on Aug. 15, but the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) decided to extend the current travel restrictions from Aug. 16 to Aug. 31 to control the possible entry of more Delta variant cases.
Malacanang said that the request of airlines to resume international transit hub operations has also been approved.
“These international transit hub operations shall be limited to airside transfers between Terminals 1 and 2, and within Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and further limited for countries/jurisdictions/territories in the Green List.”
-Updated list of “green countries”-
The Palace also released the updated list of the so-called “green countries and territories.”
These include Albania, American Samoa, Anguilla, Australia, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Chad, China, Comoros, Cote d’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Falkland Islands, Gabon, Grenada, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), Hungary, Mali, Federated States of Micronesia, Montserrat (British Overseas Territory), New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Poland, Romania, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Slovakia, Sudan and Taiwan
Fully vaccinated travelers coming from these countries or territories can enter the country provided they follow the quarantine protocols.
“As such, protocols for the controlled movement of passengers and health and safety protocols within the terminals shall be strictly observed,” Malacanang said in a release.
“Any traveler who may exhibit symptoms shall comply with isolation and quarantine protocols which shall be for the account of the sponsoring airlines.”
The IATF also directed the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Bureau of Quarantine, and the Bureau of Immigration to formulate the necessary protocols for the issuance of appropriate visas applicable on a case-to-case basis.
(Eagle News Service)