Malacañang announced on Wednesday, July 14, that it has approved the extension of travel restrictions on India and six other countries until July 31 over fears that the Delta variant of the coronavirus will cause a spike in the country’s COVID-19 cases.
The travel restrictions cover India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, and Oman, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
The restrictions were supposed to end on Thursday, July 15.
Roque said that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases also directed its technical working group (TWG) to study and provide recommendations on the proper testing and quarantine protocols for the travelers from the said countries, as well as from other “high-risk” nations.
The Palace official also revealed that the IATF already has a recommendation about the possible travel ban on Indonesia, where the Delta variant drove a new surge in cases. Indonesia nears a total of two million COVID-19 cases.
READ: Experts studying possible travel ban on Indonesia – Duque
“Meron na po kaming rekomendasyon pero iyan po’y magiging desisyon ng presidente kasi ito po ay kauna-unahang pagkakataon kung magkakaroon po ng travel ban so hintayin na lang natin ang desisyon ng presidente (We already have a recommendation but that will be the decision of the President because this is the very first time that we will have a travel ban, so let’s just wait for the decision of the President),” Roque said.
There are a total of 19 cases of the Delta variant detected in the Philippines. All were returning Filipino workers, and the Department of Health (DOH) maintained that there is no community transmission yet.
READ: DOH reminds public to stay vigilant as Delta variant threat looms
Roque added that the IATF will discuss the possibility of assessing travel restrictions monthly instead of weekly because of the request of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who are having a hard time rebooking their tickets every time a new travel restriction was set in place.
“I will bring it up with the IATF kung pu-pwede (if possible) monthly instead of weekly,” he said.
Even the current quarantine classification locally is subject to change on July 15.
Currently, Metro Manila and Bulacan are under general community quarantine (GCQ) “with some restrictions” while Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal are under GCQ “with heightened restrictions.” These are the areas under the National Capital Region Plus (NCR Plus).