Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque on Tuesday conducted an inspection at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminals 1 and 3 to ensure the strict implementation of health protocols.
Duque said that effective 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec 30, all foreign travellers arriving at the NAIA Terminals 1, 2, and 3 will be temporarily prevented from entering the country to contain the spread of the new strain of COVID-19 except for returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
"The Inter-Agency Task Force has passed a resolution to strengthen the implementation of a ban on foreign travellers arriving from countries which have reported cases of the new strain of COVID-19. This will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on December 30, 2020 until January 15, 2021 to prevent the spread of the new variant of the COVID-19 which is highly contagious," Duque said.
Among the countries affected by the new strain of coronavirus are the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore, Japan, Germany, Australia, Iceland, South Africa, Italy, Israel, Spain, the Netherlands, Lebanon, Canada, Sweden, France, and South Korea.
Passengers who have been to these countries within 14 days upon arrival will be barred from entering the country due to the travel restrictions imposed except OFWs.
The OFWs will be brought to OWWA and DOT accredited facilities for their 14-day quarantine and only those who tested negative in their RT- PCR test will be sent home. Those who tested positive for the virus will be brought to the health facilities for treatment.