PH EXPANDS TRAVEL BAN TO OMAN, UAE

THE Philippine government has expanded the scope of its travel ban to include Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in an attempt to prevent the entry of the dreaded Indian variants of Covid-19.

“All travelers coming from Oman and the UAE or those with travel history to these two countries within the last 14 days preceding arrival shall be prohibited from entering the Philippines beginning 0001H of May 15, 2021 until 2359H of May 31, 2021, upon the recommendation of the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department of Foreign Affairs,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said in a statement.

Roque added that travel restrictions on India and its four neighboring countries remain until the end of the month.

“All existing travel restrictions of passengers coming from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are extended until 2359H of May 31, 2021,” Roque said.

The DoH earlier reported that the Indian variant B1617 was detected in two overseas Filipino workers with no travel history to India. Both were asymptomatic after recovering from Covid-19.

Roque said travelers in transit who have not visited Oman and the UAE arriving before May 15 will undergo a 14-day quarantine even if their RT-PCT — reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction — test upon arrival yield negative results.

“The Department of Transportation should ensure that airlines are directed not to allow the boarding of passengers who are prohibited from entering the country pursuant to travel restrictions imposed by the Office of the President and Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases resolutions except if they are part of the repatriation efforts of the national government,” Roque said.