PH expands travel restriction to US amid threat of new COVID-19 variant

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. |VALERIE ESCALERA/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO (FILE)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government has included the United States in the list of countries where a travel restriction is imposed to prevent the transmission of the new COVID-19 variant, Malacañang said Friday.

“The Office of the President, upon the joint recommendation of the Department of Health and the Department of Foreign Affairs, included the United States of America (US) as among the countries subject to travel restrictions,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

Roque said the travel restriction is effective starting January 3 until January 15.

Filipino citizens are exempted from the order, but Roque said they are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine regardless of a negative COVID-19 swab test result.

The first known case of the COVID-19 variant in the United States was detected in Colorado.

Earlier, the Philippines already imposed a travel ban to 20 countries where the variant was detected effective until Jan. 15, 2021.

These countries are:

• United Kingdom
• Denmark
• Ireland
• Japan
• Australia
• Israel
• The Netherlands
• Hong Kong, SAR
• Switzerland
• France
• Germany
• Iceland
• Italy
• Lebanon
• Singapore
• Sweden
• South Korea
• South Africa
• Canada
• Spain

JPV

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