Philippines extends travel ban on India, 9 other countries as Delta variant spreads

MANILA: The Philippines has extended the travel ban for all inbound travelers from India and nine other countries till September 5 as the Covid-19 Delta variant spreads across the country, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Tuesday.

Roque said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved the travel ban extension after the current ban expired on Tuesday.

Aside from India where the Delta variant was first detected, the Philippines also banned travelers from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

Returning overseas Filipino workers are allowed under the repatriation program, but will be isolated for 14 days upon arrival.

“These travel restrictions form part of the pro-active measures to slow down the rising number of Covid-19 cases, stop further spread of variants, and increase the country’s existing healthcare capacity,” Roque said in a statement.

The Philippines has detected 1,789 Delta cases, including 33 deaths. The World Health Organisation confirmed the community transmission of the highly infectious Delta variant in the Philippines, saying it is now the dominant strain spreading in the country.

The Philippines is grappling with soaring Covid-19 infections fueled by the Delta variant. The Southeast Asian country has reported a total of 1,989,857 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, including 33,448 deaths.  (Xinhua)