DOH recommends travel ban on countries with new coronavirus variant

House Deputy Speaker Bienvenido Abante Jr. and Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire are calling for travel restrictions on countries with cases of the new coronavirus variant detected in the UK.

The DOH is recommending expanding travel restrictions to all countries where the new variant has been identified, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and Japan.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said there is no evidence yet that the new variant makes COVID-19 more severe, but a strict mandatory 14-day quarantine would be imposed for travelers coming from these areas.