The SUN HK : Philippines halts plan to allow foreigners in amid Omicron scare

By The SUN

The Omicron scare put a brake on Manila's plan to start allowing tourists in

The Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force against Covid-19 has suspended a plan to reopen the country to foreign travelers amid the threat posed by the new coronavirus variant, Omicron.

The decision was announced by the Bureau of Immigration in a statement released earlier today.

“The IATF deemed it necessary to suspend the entry of foreign tourists, given worldwide concerns over the Omicron variant,” BI Commissioner Jaime Morente in a statement.

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“For now, the current general travel restrictions stand. Only Filipinos, balikbayan, and those with long term visas from green and yellow list countries may be allowed entry,” he added.

His statement came as a former adviser of the National Task Force against Covid-19 echoed a call by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to include Hong Kong in the list of “red countries” from where travelers will be barred entry.

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Dr Tony Leachon said Hong Kong must be included in the temporary travel ban considering how close it is to the Philippines, and because many Filipino domestic workers here are likely to go home during the Christmas season.

Three imported cases of the Omicron have already been detected in Hong Kong, but authorities say the city’s strict quarantine restrictions have managed to stop its spread in the community.

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Currently, the Philippines has banned all incoming flights from 14 countries, including eight in south Africa, but Hong Kong has been spared.

All travelers from the SAR, as well as other places in the Philippines’ “yellow list,” are allowed to come in as long as they are fully vaccinated and have presented a negative result from an RT-PCR test done within 72 hours of boarding their flight.

Some health experts are pushing for HK to be included in the "red list"

Meanwhile, travelers from the 14 countries designated as “red” or high risk will not be allowed entry, at least until the next review by IATF of its health protocols.

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Apart from the eight South African countries named earlier, seven other places were added to the red list from Nov 28 to Dec 15, and these are Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy.

“Those coming from red list countries within the last 14 days prior to arrival shall not be allowed to enter the Philippines,” BI’s Morente said.

Only Filipinos who are repatriated from the high-risk countries or are transported on Bayanihan flights will be allowed entry, but subject to strict quarantine protocols.

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The Bureau of Immigration also reminded airlines to carefully inspect the documents of travelers prior to boarding to ensure only those allowed entry may fly to the country, saying it will be implementing strict passport inspection at the airport.

Airlines that fail to follow strict boarding protocols will be fined, said Immigration.