PAL: Foreign passengers from US won’t be allowed in flights to PH

(File) EMPTY LANES Passenger lanes at Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3 are empty in this photo taken on March 13 after airlines canceled many flights following the government’s ban on Filipinos traveling to China, Hong Kong, Macau and parts of South Korea as measures were put in place to halt the spread of the new coronavirus. (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Saturday said that it would not allow foreign passengers from the United States or foreign travelers who have been in the country for 14 days to be in their flights bound for the Philippines as a precautionary measure against a more-contagious COVID-19 variant.

In an advisory, the flag carrier said that it will not accept such passengers beginning 12:01 a.m. of Jan. 3 until Jan. 15.

But PAL said that Filipinos originating from the US or who have traveled to the US within 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival in the Philippines will still be accepted on their flights, provided that they undergo a 14-day quarantine at a stringent quarantine facility.

“All passengers — whether Filipino citizens or foreigner nationals — who are originating from the US or who have traveled to the US within the  14-day period prior to entering the Philippines and are arriving BEFORE 12:01 a.m. Jan. 3, 2021, will not be prohibited from entering the country but will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine period at a stringent quarantine facility,” PAL said.

“Passengers allowed to enter the Philippines from the US within the abovementioned periods must undergo RT-PCR testing on arrival. An absolute 14-day quarantine must be completed even if a passenger tests negative on the RT-PCR test,” PAL added.

Malacañang previously announced that the Philippines’ temporary travel ban has expanded to the US after the latter reported its first case of the COVID-19 variant in Colorado.

Earlier, the temporary travel ban covered 20 countries where the COVID-19 variant was detected. 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

“Affected passengers may rebook on the next available flights after the restriction period, with rebooking service fees waived,” PAL said in its advisory.

“They may also refund the cost of their ticket with refunding service fees waived. A third available option is the conversion of the PAL ticket into a travel voucher for future use,” the flag carrier added.

JPV

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