Philippines to ban foreign travellers arriving from US
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MANILA • The Philippines will block foreign travellers from the US from tomorrow, following the detection of a new and more infectious coronavirus variant in that country, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said yesterday.
"Foreign passengers coming from the US, or who have been to the US within 14 days preceding arrival in the Philippines, shall be prohibited from entering the country effective 12.01am Manila time of Jan 3... until Jan 15," he said.
Foreigners who arrive before 12.01am tomorrow from the United States, or who have been to the US within 14 days before coming to the Philippines, will be allowed to enter the country.
However, these travellers must undergo "an absolute facility-based 14-day quarantine period", even if their Covid-19 tests show negative results, Mr Roque added.
He said Filipino citizens coming from the US, or who have been to the US within 14 days immediately before landing in the Philippines - including those arriving after tomorrow - will be allowed to enter the country.
The US is the 21st place subjected by the Philippines to a 14-day entry ban on flights and foreign travellers to prevent the spread of the new strain.
The Philippines initially imposed a temporary entry ban on flights and foreigners from Britain - where the new variant was first found - from Dec 24 until Dec 31. The government extended the ban to Jan 15 and included 19 other countries and territories with the reported new strain.
The Philippines now has 475,820 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 9,248 deaths.
In his New Year's message, President Rodrigo Duterte voiced confidence that the country will sail through the pandemic and see brighter days this year.
"The Covid-19 pandemic may have cost us so many lives and material resources, but we also learnt so much from it," he said. "We realised the value of human life and our relationships with each other. We understood what it means to be a family, a community, a nation. We learnt to share and to look after the welfare of our brethren."
He added: "Now, we march on to a new year wiser, stronger and more prepared for the challenges ahead."
XINHUA
