The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that it would continue to implement the ban on the entry of all passengers arriving from seven restricted countries until July 15.
In an advisory, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the extension of the travel ban is in compliance with the latest Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) resolution extending for two more weeks the ban on the entry of passengers from the said countries which was supposed to expire on Wednesday.
The seven countries covered by the travel ban are India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
Morente thus said that existing guidelines governing the arrival of passengers from these seven countries shall still be observed.
“Foreigners arriving the said countries will be denied entry, and immediately sent back to their port of origin. On the other hand, Filipinos arriving from these countries as part of repatriation efforts by the government and non-government sectors will be allowed entry,” the BI chief added.
BI to implement extended travel ban until July 15
He also reminded the airlines not to board passengers coming from the said region, as their infractions will be referred to the aviation authorities for the imposition of appropriate sanctions.
Atty. Carlos Capulong, BI Port Operations Division Chief, clarified that the latest IATF-MEID resolution also allowed passengers who have been fully vaccinated to undergo a 7-day facility-based quarantine. “Hence they would need to present their 7-day booking, as well as proof of vaccination to the BI before clearance,” said Capulong. “They must likewise have come from countries tagged as green by the Department of Health,” he added.
He added that those who have not been vaccinated will still undergo a 10-day facility-based quarantine.
In the resolution, the IATF-MEID tasked the Bureau of Quarantine at the airport’s One Stop Shop to verify vaccination records of arriving passengers.
Current restrictions allow the entry of Filipinos, balikbayans, and those with valid and existing visas from countries not part of the travel ban. “Except for balikbayans, tourist visa holders are still not allowed to enter the country,” Capulong added.
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