By Dhel Nazario
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) put out a reminder concerning international flights coming into the country, saying these must request exemption from the CAAP operations center at least 36 hours before their scheduled departure from their place of origin.
The same is asked for outbound international flights.
Sweeper flights for foreign nationals repatriating back to their respective countries will continue, while domestic air arrivals and departures at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) shall remain suspended.
According to the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, this decision is meant to decongest quarantine facilities and protect people by preventing COVID-19 from spreading further, and also to ensure that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are well taken care of when they arrive from abroad.
As of today, there are already approximately 20,000 OFWs undergoing mandatory quarantine in Metro Manila.
The new flight restriction is only temporary and will be implemented for one week to give government opportunity to decongest quarantine facilities in Metro Manila.