Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said that a travel ban imposed on citizens of ten countries, including Pakistan, India, and the United Arab Emirates, will be lifted today (Saturday).
According to presidential spokesman Harry Roque, the restriction will be removed on Monday.
The travel restriction, which was originally implemented on April 27 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, has now been extended to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Any future travelers from the aforementioned countries, however, will be required to spend 14 days in quarantine upon arrival, according to Roque.
The Philippines stated in the second week of August that the ban on travelers from Pakistan, India, and eight other countries will be extended from August 16 to August 30, citing worries about the extremely infectious Delta form of the coronavirus.
As the number of cases increased, additional hospitals in the capital area reported that their critical care units, isolation beds, and wards were almost full, and several had to turn away new patients due to a shortage of beds and ventilators.
The Philippines, which has one of Asia’s worst coronavirus outbreaks, is dealing with a fresh spike in Covid-19 infections, which is being fueled by community transmission of the more virulent Delta form.
The government is relying on its immunization program, which began in March, to help the economy recover.
The Philippines has acquired a total of 194.89 million doses of Covid-19 vaccinations up to August 29, enough to inoculate approximately 100.5 million Filipinos, or moreover 100% of the adult population, according to a statement from the finance ministry.
