
MANILA – The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has postponed a plan to reopen the country to foreign passengers due to the threat of a new Covid-19 Omicron variant, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday.
“The IATF deemed it necessary to suspend the entry of foreign tourists, given worldwide concerns over the Omicron variant,” BI Commissioner said Jaime Morente in a statement.
“For now, the current general travel restrictions stand. Only Filipinos, balikbayan, and those with long term visas from green and yellow list countries may be allowed entry,” he added.
Travelers from seven European countries have also been denied entry, he said.
From November 28 to December 15, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy were the nations added to the IATF’s “red list”.
“Those coming from red list countries within the last 14 days prior to arrival shall not be allowed to enter the Philippines,” he added.
The IATF ruling, according to Morente, allowed Filipinos to enter the country and be aided in their return via government and non-government repatriation and Bayanihan flights, but they must adhere to the Bureau of Quarantine’s (BOQ) health regulations.
Those already in transit from red list countries who will arrive before Nov. 30 and are part of the authorized classes will be allowed to enter the country and will also be subjected to BOQ protocols, he added.
Meanwhile, BI Port Operations Division chief lawyer Carlos Capulong urged airline operators to thoroughly verify travelers’ documents prior to boarding to ensure that only those permitted entry may fly to the country.
“We are conducting 100 percent passport inspection to ensure that we see the complete travel history of the arriving passengers,” he said.
Capulong stated that aliens who are inadmissible but were allowed to board will be barred from entry and the erring airline will be penalized.