MANILA – Filipinos in countries subject to a temporary travel ban will be permitted to return home as long as they are covered by the government’s repatriation efforts, according to Malacañang on Sunday.
This clarification came after Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that the Philippines had prolonged the travel ban enforced on travelers arriving from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman until June 30.
Filipinos will be permitted to return home, he said, subject to quarantine and testing protocols.
“Let it be clear, however, that Filipinos covered by the repatriation programs of the government and repatriation activities of manning/recruitment agencies cleared by the Bureau of Quarantine are not prohibited from entering the Philippines,” he said. “They can enter the country, subject to testing and quarantine protocols. We hope this clarifies the matter.”
Roque justified the necessity to extend the travel restriction, arguing that it was enacted to maintain continual stringent border control in order to avoid the spread of the B.1617 “double mutant” strain of the coronavirus, which was detected in India (called Delta in the new World Health Organization system).
Roque stressed the importance of “constant vigilance”, since the Delta variant is more transmissible as proven in the experience of other countries
The travel ban on India was first enforced from April 29 to May 14.
The government increased travel restrictions to cover Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal from May 7 to May 14.
From May 15 to May 31, travelers from Oman and the United Arab Emirates were barred from entering the Philippines.
The travel prohibition, however, has been extended until June 15.
On Friday, Edsel Salvana, a member of the Department of Health Technical Advisory Group, stated that 13 Delta variant cases were confirmed in the country, all of which were from returning Filipino travelers.
All 13 people were returning tourists, according to Salvana, and nine of them were from the Covid-19-affected vessel Athens Bridge, which was allowed to dock in Manila last month after being denied entry in Vietnam.
According to reports, the Delta variant is 60% more infectious than the Alpha variant and appears to be causing the increase in cases in other countries.
