The Philippine Bureau of Immigration is preparing to bar travelers coming from India, with the ban set to begin tomorrow.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-COVID task force announced yesterday that travelers from India or those who have gone to the subcontinent two weeks prior to their arrival are not allowed to enter the Philippines from April 29 until May 14. India has seen a surge of COVID-19 cases driven by what has been dubbed as a “double mutant” virus. Thousands have died as a result, including two Filipino workers whose remains have yet to be repatriated.
The ban covers all nationalities, including Filipinos coming from India.
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“We are conducting 100% passport inspection to determine the travel history of an arriving person,” Bureau of Immigration port operations division acting chief Carlos Capulong said in a statement.
“If we see that the traveler has been to India within the last 14 days, then he will be excluded and boarded on the next available flight back to his port of origin,” he added.
Capulong said passengers who are already on their way to the Philippines and who arrive before April 29 will be allowed to enter the country, but they will have to go through stricter health protocols, including a 14-day quarantine.
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