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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider BI suspends issuance of VUA to help curb spread of nCoV

BI suspends issuance of VUA to help curb spread of nCoV

Published Jan 28, 2020 12:00 am
By Jun Ramirez The Bureau of Immigration (BI) suspended Tuesday the issuance of Visa Upon Arrival (VUA) to Chinese tourists to help curb the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV). (MANILA BULLETIN) (MANILA BULLETIN) The move follows the travel lockdown in several cities in China, shutting down public transport services to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said “we are now temporarily suspending the issuance of VUA for Chinese nationals to slow down the influx of group tours." The VUA facility is often used by Chinese tour groups in visiting the Philippines. The BI chief said a similar action was done by Taiwan immigration authorities which cancelled permits for 429 people in 24 tour groups from Wuhan, China. Morente clarified that there is no order from higher officials barring Chinese nationals from entering the country. “We have not received any directive imposing policy changes on Chinese nationals. But we are taking this proactive measure to slow down travel, and possibly help prevent the entry of the coronavirus” he stated He said the BI is “always ready to assist the Department of Health and the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) with whatever information that they need in order to prevent the entry of this disease into the country.” He added that it is the responsibility of the BOQ to check and monitor the arrivals of passengers.(Jun Ramirez)
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