Amid discordant announcements from officials, the Philippines on Tuesday finalized a wider travel ban on arrivals from 20 countries to prevent the spread of a new, and perceived to be more contagious coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom.
President Rodrigo Duterte has prohibited from entering the country from 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 30, 2020 until Jan. 15, 2021 all foreign travelers coming from, or transiting through, the following territories, or who have been to these places 14 days before arrival in the Philippines, said his spokesman Harry Roque.
The countries are the UK, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, and Spain.
Duterte earlier extended the suspension of flights from, and the prohibition of entry of travelers from or transiting through, the UK until Jan. 15.
The Department of Transportation on Tuesday said: “Passengers already in transit or who had been in any of the flagged countries within 14 days from entry into the Philippines and who arrive before Dec. 30, 2020, will be allowed entry but they shall be subjected to strict quarantine and testing protocols (mandatory 14 day quarantine in OWWA and DOT accredited facilities) despite getting a negative RT-PCR result,” DOTr said.
The agency added that the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) through the Local Government Unit (LGU) is likewise directed to ensure that the non-OFWs follow the strict quarantine protocols.
But passengers who are already in transit and will arrive before 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 30 from the 19 additional areas "shall not be prohibited from entering the country," said Roque.
"However, they shall be required to undergo an absolute facility-based 14-day quarantine period, notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR test result," he said.
Filipinos from these areas and the UK can also enter the country but will be required to undergo a 14-day quarantine, notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR test result, Roque added.
At the same time, Roque said Duterte's office "may impose restrictions to travelers coming from other countries that report the presence of the new variant of COVID-19."
Roque added: "Outbound travel to countries with reported new variants shall be subject to the existing protocols of the Philippines and the entry protocols of the respective countries."
The new COVID-19 variant, which British scientists have called "VUI – 202012/01," has renewed fears about the virus that has killed over 1.7 million people worldwide.
With more than 471,000 infections and 9,162 deaths, the Philippines has the second highest number of COVID-19 cases and fatalities in Southeast Asia, next to Indonesia.
Precautionary move
According to the Manila International Airport Authority, the move, which took effect Tuesday, was a precautionary measure made by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in preventing the entry of the second COVID-19 strain detected recently.
The new restriction applies to all travelers, whether Filipinos or foreigners.
Travelers from any other country that subsequently reports the presence of the new strain shall likewise be banned from entering the Philippines.
MIAA general manager Eddie Monreal said passengers already in transit or who had been in any of the flagged countries within 14 days from entry into the Philippines and who arrive before Dec. 30, 2020 will be allowed entry.
But those passengers shall be subjected to strict quarantine and testing protocols – mandatory 14 day quarantine in Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and Department of Tourism accredited facilities) despite getting a negative Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) result.
Gene sequencing
Samples of incoming travelers who test positive for COVID-19 will undergo gene sequencing to check for the new SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom, the Department of Health said Tuesday.
During a virtual press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there were 85 passengers who recently arrived from the UK, of whom, one tested positive for COVID-19, 81 are negative, and three still have pending results.
Vergeire said the sample was already sent to the Philippine Genome Center in the University of the Philippines.
Vergeire said samples from travelers from the UK and other countries affected by the new coronavirus variant will be included.
Vergeire said the PGC is able to sequence samples in batches of more than 700, so they will also be collecting samples from hospitals.
Vergeire said this will enable the country to check if any patients from November and December have the new variant which is said to be more transmissible.
As of Tuesday, there is still no reported case of the new coronavirus variant in the Philippines.
High recommendation
The government has not issued a wider travel ban yet on countries suspected to have cases of the new COVID-19 strain, but it was “highly recommended” to President Rodrigo Duterte, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Tuesday.
Roque issued the statement after reports that aside from the United Kingdom, the travel ban has been expanded to 19 other countries.
The Manila International Airport Authority also took down its social media post announcing the supposed travel restrictions on the following territories effective midnight of Dec. 29, 2020, these include United Kingdom; South Africa; Switzerland; Italy; Denmark ; Israel ; Hong Kong ; Spain; Ireland; Netherlands; Singapore; Lebanon; Japan; Canada; Germany; Sweden; Australia; France; Iceland and South Korea.
Meanwhile, a lawmaker appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to recommend the imposition of travel ban on countries with the new variant of COVID-19.
San Jose Del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes said the country should not wait for local transmission in the affected countries before it imposes travel restrictions because it may be too late by then to control its entry in our country.
Border control
Senator Christopher Go urged the government to implement fully the strictest border control measures and necessary travel restrictions to avoid the further spread of COVID-19 amid the emergence of new variants of the disease which is considered more infectious, according to health experts.
“We should always be ready. Let us not wait for the virus to spread especially in our country. If there's a report about a new strain in other places, we should already have learned our lessons," he added.
Moreover, Go supported the call to consider imposing a strict travel ban for those whose country of origin is considered high risk and has already recorded community transmission of the new variant of COVID-19.
“We must consider imposing a strict travel ban for those whose country of origin is considered high-risk."
Go said this pandemic continued to evolve as it posed new threats to the lives of Filipinos.
The senator disclosed the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases is expected to announce a new set of guidelines on border patrol and other necessary measures within the day after convening an emergency meeting last Saturday, December 26. With Willie Casas, Vito Barcelo, and Macon Ramos-Araneta