BI orders strict implementation on Chinese travel ban
Published Feb 5, 2020 12:00 am
REBy Jun Ramirez
Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers in the different international airports and seaports have been ordered to strictly implement the ban on the entry of travelers from the People’s Republic of China and its special administrative regions (SARs) due to the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019 nCoV ARD) outbreak.
Bureau of Immigration (MANILA BULLETIN)
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said he has ordered the bureau’s port personnel to make sure the ban is implemented to the letter and that all BI port personnel are told to exercise extra care and vigilance in screening arriving passengers.
He said the bureau's Port Operations Division (POD) has been assisting the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) in filtering arriving passengers through "redundancy checks."
Airlines and shipping agents were also advised not to board passengers with travel history to the concerned areas within the last 14 days, he added.
A memorandum order issued last Sunday by BI-POD chief Grifton Medina spelled out the guidelines that BI officers must observe in enforcing the travel ban.
It states that any passenger of any nationality who has been to China and their SARs within 14 days before coming to the Philippines shall automatically be denied entry.
“The only exception will be Filipino citizens and alien permanent status holders,” Morente said.
Medina also identified permanent resident aliens as those who were issued immigrant visas under the Philippine immigration act, those who availed of the alien legalization program under Executive Order No. 324, those who availed of the alien social integration program under Republic Act No. 7919, native-born foreign nationals, aliens who acquired permanent resident status by reason of marriage to Filipinos, and aliens with approved refugee status.
The guidelines also state that if a foreign passenger not exempted from the ban happens to disembark, he or she shall automatically be excluded and immediately sent back to the port of origin.
Filipinos and aliens exempted from the ban who arrive from China, Hongkong, and Macau, including flight crew, shall be turned over to the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) for their assessment, together with a copy of their arrival cards.
Further, Filipinos, including overseas workers and permanent residents of other countries, who are traveling to China, Hong Kong, and Macau will not be allowed to leave unless the passenger is part of a government delegation conducting official duties, or a member of the World Health Organization or other agencies involved in fighting the spread of the virus.
Morente also said that BI seaport personnel will be implementing the same measures, and will only allow passengers coming from China, Hong Kong, and Macau upon clearance from BOQ, after the 14-day period has lapsed.
Morente said that while no timelines could be given, the measure is temporary.
"The directive of the President follows the recommendation of the Department of Health, which is in line with advisories from the World Health Organization. We seek the public's understanding as we implement this ban."
Meanwhile, the BI chief clarified the BI’s role in contact tracing.
“It is the Department of Health who conducts contact tracing for suspected cases of the 2019 NCoV ARD,” Morente said.
READ MORE: DOH confirms third case of nCov in the PH
“We have been proactively supporting them by volunteering information from our database about patients under investigation. We are able to give them the data needed even before it is asked, in less than 24 hours.”
READ MORE: Duterte orders entry ban on all nationalities traveling from China except Filipinos
Bureau of Immigration (MANILA BULLETIN)
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said he has ordered the bureau’s port personnel to make sure the ban is implemented to the letter and that all BI port personnel are told to exercise extra care and vigilance in screening arriving passengers.
He said the bureau's Port Operations Division (POD) has been assisting the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) in filtering arriving passengers through "redundancy checks."
Airlines and shipping agents were also advised not to board passengers with travel history to the concerned areas within the last 14 days, he added.
A memorandum order issued last Sunday by BI-POD chief Grifton Medina spelled out the guidelines that BI officers must observe in enforcing the travel ban.
It states that any passenger of any nationality who has been to China and their SARs within 14 days before coming to the Philippines shall automatically be denied entry.
“The only exception will be Filipino citizens and alien permanent status holders,” Morente said.
Medina also identified permanent resident aliens as those who were issued immigrant visas under the Philippine immigration act, those who availed of the alien legalization program under Executive Order No. 324, those who availed of the alien social integration program under Republic Act No. 7919, native-born foreign nationals, aliens who acquired permanent resident status by reason of marriage to Filipinos, and aliens with approved refugee status.
The guidelines also state that if a foreign passenger not exempted from the ban happens to disembark, he or she shall automatically be excluded and immediately sent back to the port of origin.
Filipinos and aliens exempted from the ban who arrive from China, Hongkong, and Macau, including flight crew, shall be turned over to the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) for their assessment, together with a copy of their arrival cards.
Further, Filipinos, including overseas workers and permanent residents of other countries, who are traveling to China, Hong Kong, and Macau will not be allowed to leave unless the passenger is part of a government delegation conducting official duties, or a member of the World Health Organization or other agencies involved in fighting the spread of the virus.
Morente also said that BI seaport personnel will be implementing the same measures, and will only allow passengers coming from China, Hong Kong, and Macau upon clearance from BOQ, after the 14-day period has lapsed.
Morente said that while no timelines could be given, the measure is temporary.
"The directive of the President follows the recommendation of the Department of Health, which is in line with advisories from the World Health Organization. We seek the public's understanding as we implement this ban."
Meanwhile, the BI chief clarified the BI’s role in contact tracing.
“It is the Department of Health who conducts contact tracing for suspected cases of the 2019 NCoV ARD,” Morente said.
READ MORE: DOH confirms third case of nCov in the PH
“We have been proactively supporting them by volunteering information from our database about patients under investigation. We are able to give them the data needed even before it is asked, in less than 24 hours.”
READ MORE: Duterte orders entry ban on all nationalities traveling from China except Filipinos