THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) has restricted travelers coming from 35 countries from entering the Philippines, including the two latest on the list — the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Hungary.
Because of this, flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will temporarily not accept passengers from UAE and Hungary, following Malacanang’s expanded travel restrictions starting January 17, 2021, up to January 31, amid fears of the spread of so-called Covid-19 UK variant.
The expanded travel restrictions take effect midnight of Sunday (January 17) for passengers who have been to the 35 restricted countries or territories, or have traveled there within the last 14 days prior to arrival in the country.
In this connection, PAL said passengers from the 35 countries would be temporarily restricted from coming in. These are: Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, Netherlands, Hong Kong-SAR, Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, United Kingdom, Austria, United States, Portugal, India, Finland Norway, Jordan, Brazil, China, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Hungary.
Filipino citizens originating from or who have traveled to any of the specified countries within 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival in the Philippines shall be accepted on PAL flights to the Philippines, but will be subjected to additional screening process.
The updated restrictions are covered by a Resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF) restricting travel into the Philippines from specified countries, as a protective measure against the new variant of the SARS COV 2 Virus.
The BI said all arriving passengers will be subjected to mandatory real time polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR testing upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other airports and seaports in the country.
PAL said passengers from the flagged 35 countries will receive duplicate swabbing. The first specimen will be used for RTPCR testing while the second specimen will be submitted for genome sequencing.
For returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), swab testing will be carried out by the government One Stop Shop, free of charge.
For non-OFWs and eligible non-Filipinos, swab testing will be carried out by the PAL One Stop Shop for a one-time fee of PHP 4,000 and discounts will be given to senior citizens and PWDs.
They will then undergo 14-day quarantine.
OFWs were directed to proceed to the OWWA Desk at the airport, where they will be assigned a quarantine facility designated by the Philippine government, free of charge.
Non-OFWs are to proceed to the Department of Tourism (DOT) desk, where they will be assigned a quarantine facility designated by the Philippine government, subject to availability of accommodation.
In cases where hotels designated by the Philippine government are at full capacity, travelers must prepare to shoulder their accommodation in one of the hotels suitable for the 14-day stringent quarantine accredited by the DOT.
Ttravelers may also book their 14-day quarantine stay in advance from the list of accredited hotels suitable for this, PAL added.
Unaccompanied minors
Effective until Jan. 31, 2021, all
unaccompanied minor Filipino citizens from any of the 35 countries covered by the above travel restrictions shall not be allowed to enter the Philippines, unless they are part of the government’s repatriation program.
In the latter case, repatriated minors shall be turned over to the OWWA house.
Parents must coordinate with the DSWD to ensure the minor’s safety and observance of health protocols.
However, unaccompanied minor Filipino citizens from countries other than those covered by the new restrictions shall be allowed to enter the Philippines. Diplomats and dignitaries are exempted from the new travel restrictions, provided they comply with the arrival and quarantine protocols.
Passengers from PAL and Cebu Pacific (CEB) who cannot take their flight to the Philippines because of these temporary bans may: rebook their flights with rebooking service fees waived, or avail of a refund.
Passengers who are still eligible to enter the country but choose not to push through with their flight may voluntarily change their bookings subject to the rules of their ticket and following the “No-Worry Flight Fare Brand”. Passenger options may be viewed at https://bit.ly/PAL and CEB Passenger Options.
Image credits: Pavel Stolyarenko | Dreamstime.com
3 comments
I hear for incoming flights but l have ticket for outgoing January 31 first to Tokyo then to Dallas Texas. This is my third try this year. I just wanted to go home. Now again a lockdown.
I should be on the flight home to Cebu via Doha from Oslo Norway,7 of January, unfortunately the government of PH contact QR and QR contact me on Thr 6 of January at 6,45 PM local time Europe 17 hours before my flight home the canceled it……. stranded now in Sweden and living in the forest because of this pandemic history yes I am afraid…..
Effective January 26, 2021 all air passengers travelling to US must present proof of COVID-19 Negative result within 72 hours of departure date, according to US Embassy Manila.