The government is determined to enforce strict testing and quarantine protocols to prevent the entry of the deadly coronavirus strain first detected in India.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque admitted there was no "absolute guarantee" the Indian strain won't enter the country but assured the government was doing its best to prevent and contain its spread.
The government has prohibited travelers coming from India from entering the Philippines from April 29 to May 14, 2021 to block the entry of the B.1617 coronavirus variant devastating lives in the South Asian neighbor. A similar entry ban has been imposed on travelers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka from May 7 to May 14. Filipinos and foreign passengers “merely transiting” through these countries, however, are allowed entry to the Philippines subject to testing and quarantine protocols during this period.
Prior to the implementation of the travel ban, five passengers from India, including one foreigner, were found infected with the coronavirus. Health authorities are determining if the samples from the positive cases are adequate for sequencing.
"Bagama’t tinest sila, ang rule po ay talagang strict facility quarantine sila for 14 days. So kampante naman po tayo na dahil nga sina-subject sila to 14 days quarantine regardless of their PCR test ay mapipigilan po ang pagpasok ng Indian strain (Despite being tested, the rule is strict ability quarantine for 14 days. We are confident that since they will be subjected to 14 days quarnatine regardless of PCR test, we may stop the entry of the Indian strain)," Roque said during a televised briefing Thursday, May 6.
"Gagawin po natin ang lahat ng hakbang para mapigilan o mapatagal ang pagpasok (We will implement all measures to prevent or delay the entry of the strain)," he added.
Roque admitted though that preventing the entry of the coronavirus strain from India would be a "very difficult" task since it would entail large-scale travel restrictions.
He noted the World Health Organization official has mentioned the need to expand travel restrictions to countries with high passenger traffic from India, that includes nations from the Middle East. But he said the government could not simply close its borders to passengers coming from the Middle East where many Filipinos work and live.
"At kung titingnan ninyo po iyong pattern ng mga biyahero, ang pinakamalakas na traffic po is between India and the Middle East. So iyan po ang ating problema kasi hindi naman natin mapigil iyong mga kababayan natin na babalik sa Pilipinas galing sa Middle East (If you look at the pattern of passengers, the strongest traffic is between India and the Middle East. That's our problem because we can't stop our countrymen from returning to the Philippines from the Middle East)," he said.
"Kaya nga po ang sabi ko (That's why I said) it may not be an absolute guarantee na hindi makakapasok, pero (that the virus strain won't enter the country but) we’re doing our best to contain it," he said.
India is battling the world’s most devastating coronavirus wave after reporting a record number of cases and fatalities Thursday.
Cases of infections in India have soared to more than 400,000 Thursday following the detection of the reported double mutant strain, which pushed the total cases to over 21 million.
The Philippine government has offered solidarity to India as it struggles with the coronavirus crisis.
At home, the cases of infections have reached more than one million but authorities have reported a slow decrease in infections. The government moved to impose stricter quarantine restrictions while augmenting hospital beds to suppress the virus transmission. Vaccination drive has already been initiated but remained slow as limited vaccine supplies arrived in small volumes.
As of May 6, the country has reported 6,637 new cases, bringing the total number to 1,080,172. The death toll has reached 17,991.