The entry ban on travelers from India and six countries will be enforced until mid-July to prevent the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant, Malacañang announced Tuesday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced the extension of the travel restrictions on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Oman and United Arab Emirates following a meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
Roque said the extended travel restrictions until July 15 were part of "protective measure" on tightening international border controls due to the Delta variant. The travel ban on these countries was supposed to end on June 30.
The government, meantime, has not issued any ban on travelers from Indonesia despite a case surge dominated by the Delta variant.
"Walang travel ban sa Indonesia bagamat paiigtingin natin ang border control dahil pinagbabawal naman ang pagpasok ang mga dayuhan except kung mayroon silang long-term visas (There is no travel ban on Indonesia although we will strengthen border control since the entry of foreigners is prohibited except for those with long-term visas)," Roque said.
Roque earlier said the task force would look into the proposal to restrict the entry of travelers from Indonesia to curb the spread of the Delta variant.
The government earlier prohibited travelers coming from India and six other countries until June 30 as a precaution against the virus spread.
Prior to the extension, the travel restrictions on India were first imposed from April 29 to May 14. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka were later added to the travel ban list from May 7 to May 14. The government also started prohibiting the entry of travelers from Oman and the United Arab Emirates from May 15 to May 31. These restrictions were extended for the month of June.
Exempted from the entry ban are Filipino passengers who are part of the government-approved repatriation efforts.