PH mulls travel ban on 20 countries over new COVID variant
The Philippine government is considering an expanded travel ban to cover 20 countries in response to the threat of a new coronavirus variant, as Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced on Tuesday.
Duque reiterated Wednesday that his announcement was recommendatory and not yet final, advising the public to await official issuance from the Office of the President (OP).
The Department of Transportation advised earlier that the ban would take effect at midnight on December 30 and last until January 15, 2021.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III stated during a virtual press briefing that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are exempt from the travel ban but must still undergo strict quarantine and testing protocols upon return.
Duque emphasized in an interview on CNN Philippines that the emergence of the new variant in the country is inevitable, but Filipinos are not defenseless against COVID-19 due to compliance with minimum health standards.
The Health chief said there is no evidence yet that this new variant has reached the Philippines and noted that daily cases have been brought down and stabilized over the past 10 months of battling the pandemic.
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