The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will impose the entry travel ban on alien passengers from the United States starting midnight of Jan. 3 in a bid to stop the fast spreading strain of COVID-19 from reach the country.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the US was included in the list based on instruction from Malacanang.
The BI chief said, however, that Filipinos and their families will still be allowed entry subject to 14-day quarantine upon arrival.
Likewise, he said alien passengers who are only transiting will be allowed entry provided they stay at the airport.
Twenty-one countries have been placed under travel restriction as they were infected by the variant of the disease that originated from the United Kingdom.
Aside from the US and UK, countries covered by the travel ban are Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, and Spain.
“Aliens from the US who arrived prior to Jan. 3 will be allowed to enter but will be referred to the one-stop-stop for 14-day quarantine period,” Morente stated.