PH bans travelers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka

The Philippines banned travelers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka from May 7 to May 14 in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases and the spread of a "double mutant" coronavirus strain first discovered in India.

This restriction applies to those who have been in these four South Asian countries within 14 days before arriving in the Philippines.

A previous travel ban on travelers from India, which is also in effect until May 14, was already in place.

Filipino passengers arriving from these affected countries before May 7 must undergo a 14-day facility-based quarantine, regardless of their RT-PCR test result.

Filipinos and foreign passengers transiting through these nations are exempted if they did not clear immigration and stayed within the airport.

Nepal is currently overwhelmed by a coronavirus surge as India's outbreak spreads across South Asia, and hospital intensive care units in Pakistan and Bangladesh are near capacity.

The Civil Aviation Board (CAB) has increased the daily limit on international arrivals at Manila's international airport to 2,000 passengers from 1,500.