MANILA – Malacañang announced on Friday that the Philippines has extended the travel ban on travelers from India and nine other countries until August 15 in order to prevent the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to keep the ban on travelers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand in place, based on the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force to extend the travel restrictions currently imposed (on) 10 countries starting August 1 until August 15, 2021,” Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson, said in a press statement.
The decision was made in response to an increase in Delta variant cases across the country.
An additional 97 Delta variant cases were reported in the Philippines on July 29, bringing the total number of cases of the more infectious coronavirus in the country to 216.
Around 88 of the 97 new Delta variant cases are local, six are returning overseas Filipinos, and three are still being validated.
Of the 97 new cases, 94 have been labeled as recovered and three were fatalities.
The Delta variant, discovered in India, is causing new outbreaks throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia.
It is determined to be 60% more infectious than the Alpha variant.
According to health experts, a person infected with the Delta strain can infect five to eight people.
Duterte highlighted the need to “double-time” the vaccination of more Filipinos amid the emergence of the Delta variant, which he claims is “causing so many scary stories” since it is “more aggressive” than the original variant.
