By Genalyn Kabiling Two Filipinos in Lebanon have been infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Monday. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez gave the latest breakdown on the Filipinos who tested positive for the coronavirus abroad while releasing information on the travel restrictions imposed by some nations on virus-hit places. "We also received information that two Filipinos have also been identified in Lebanon,” he said in a Palace press briefing, adding the patients are under quarantine at a hospital in Beirut. The country has so far recorded 91 Filipinos who have tested positive for the new coronavirus, including the two cases in Lebanon. Meñez said four Filipinos in Hong Kong, three in Singapore, and two in the United Arab Emirates have tested positive for the coronavirus disease. At least 40 of the 80 COVID-19 Filipino patients in Japan have recovered from the illness. "Out of the 80, 40 have recovered and 21 out of the 40 have already in fact returned to the Philippines, and the other 19 are progressing well as far as their health is concerned," the DFA official said. "Hopefully they will also soon be repatriated to the Philippines." Travel restrictions Meantime, a number of countries have imposed travel restrictions on visitors from coronavirus-affected countries like the Philippines. Meñez said Cook Islands restricted travel from certain COVID-affected countries. He said the government of Qatar has also imposed temporary travel restriction on Doha-bound passengers who traveled from 14 identified countries, including the Philippines. "This covers all travelers who have been in those countries within the last 14 days," he said. He said the Palestinian authorities and Israeli government have decided to restrict travels to the West Bank in Bethlehem in Israel. "We already advised all Filipinos considering travel on pilgrimage in particular to check with their travel agencies and act accordingly. We have already assisted a number of Filipinos who were caught in that area when the travel restrictions were announced," Meñez said. He said Nepal has suspended its visa-on-arrival facility for all tourists. In Fiji, he said all cruise ships entering Fijian waters will require to berth at certain ports and all passengers on board are required to undergo medical and travel history checks. In the Seychelles, he said all foreign workers currently in COVID-hit countries should postpone their return travel until their further notice. "We also have unconfirmed reports as of the moment that there have been COVID cases identified in the Maldives and some resorts have been locked down. So we will be updating our information as developments arise," Meñez added. "All our foreign service posts are constantly reporting to the home office and also informing the public through their own web pages and social media platforms about the constantly changing requirements with regard to the COVID situation." (With a report from MB Online)