PH bars entry of travelers from Indonesia, nine others until Aug 15

The country's borders will remain shut to travelers from Indonesia, India, and eight other countries until mid-August as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus fueled by the Delta variant.

The travel restrictions on the 10 countries have been extended based on a decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), according to Presidential spokesman Harry Roque.

Covered by the travel restrictions are India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of the InterAgency Task Force (IATF) to extend the travel restrictions currently imposed to ten (10) countries starting August 1 until August 15, 2021,” Roque said.

The government initially imposed travel restriction on India late April after the alarming surge in Delta variant of the coronavirus in the South Asian neighbor.

The travel ban was later expanded to cover Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and UAE. The latest additions to the travel ban list are Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

The government has exempted repatriation flights of returning Filipinos from the travel restrictions on these countries.

Low-risk countries Meanwhile, the government has trimmed down the list of “green” or low coronavirus risk countries, a category that allows their fully vaccinated travelers to undergo shorter quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines.

The IATF has revised the list of “green” nations, bringing the number to 51 from 57 as the country faces a coronavirus virus surge driven by the Delta variant.

The “green” countries/jurisdictions are those classified by the Department of Health as “low risk” countries/jurisdictions based on disease incidence rate.

These vaccinated travelers must take a swab coronavirus test on the fifth day of facility-based quarantine. If a passenger tests negative, the individual must complete the seven-day facility-based quarantine. If found positive, the traveler must follow the prescribed isolation protocols.

The countries under the revised green list are the following:

1. Albania

2. American Samoa

3. Anguilla

4. Antigua and Barbuda

5. Australia

6. Azerbaijan

7. Benin

8. Bermuda

9. Bosnia and Herzegovina

10. Brunei

11. Bulgaria

12. Burkina Faso

13. Cayman Islands

14. Chad

15. China

16. Comoros

17. Cote d’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast

18. Dominica

19. Djibouti

20. Equatorial Guinea

21. Falkland Islands

22. Gabon

23. Gambia

24. Ghana

25. Grenada

26. Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China)

27. Hungary

28. Kosovo

29. Laos

30. Mali

31. Marshall Islands

32. Federated States of Micronesia

33. Moldova

34. Montserrat

35. New Caledonia

36. New Zealand

37. Niger

38. Nigeria

39. North Macedonia 40.Northern Mariana Islands

41. Palau

42. Poland

43. Romania

44.Saba (Special Municipality of the

Kingdom of Netherlands)

45. Saint Barthelemy

46.Saint Pierre and Miquelon

47. Singapore

48. Sint Eustatius

49. Slovakia

50. Taiwan

51. Togo

The last time the green list was updated by the government pandemic task force was mid-July. The original list was released on June 30 to screen the entry of vaccinated travelers into the country.