The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that it will implement the recent directive from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) banning travelers coming from South Africa, Botswana, and other countries in a bid to prevent the entry of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
In an advisory, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente shared that those coming from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique will temporarily be barred entry starting November 28.
“Those with a travel history from these countries within the last 14 days will likewise be disallowed entry,” he added.
The announcement follows the approval of the IATF-MEID on the suspension of inbound international flights from said countries with local cases or with likelihood of occurrences of the Omicron variant.
Morente clarified that the ban on Faroe Islands and the Netherlands remain in place until December 15, after which the IATF will decide whether to extend or lift it.
South Africa, 6 other countries added to PH Red List due to Omicron variant
The Bureau of Quarantine, in close coordination with our local government units, has been directed to locate travelers from the abovementioned countries who may have arrived in the recent 7 days prior to the temporary suspension of inbound travel. These travelers shall be required to undergo full 14-day facility-based quarantine with RT-PCR test on the 7th day or upon location of the passenger, whichever is later, with the date of arrival as Day 1.
Passengers already in transit from the abovementioned countries and all those who have been to the same within 14 days immediately preceding arrival to the Philippines, who arrive before 12:01AM of November 28, 2021, shall not be barred from entry, but shall be required to undergo stricter quarantine and testing protocols such as the observation of an absolute facility-based 14-day quarantine period, notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR result.
Meanwhile, all passengers, whether Filipinos or foreigners, merely transiting through the abovementioned countries shall not be deemed as having come from or having been to the said country if they stayed in the airport the entire time and were not cleared for entry into such country by its immigration authorities.
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