TRAVELERS from France are barred from entering the Philippines starting Monday (December 13) 12:01am until December 15 to curb the spread of Covid-19, Malacañang announced Wednesday.
France was included in the Red List, or those countries with high cases of Covid-19, effective Friday (December 10).
It appears that the Inter-Agency Task Force Against Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has become more cognizant of passengers who are already enroute to the Philippines or who simply have no means to rebook their flights to be able to adjust to the new travel restrictions.
Passengers, regardless of vaccination status, who have stayed in France for 14 days and arrived between December 10 12:01am until December 12 12:01am will be required to quarantine at a hotel or other government-accredited facility for two weeks and undergo RT-PCR test on the seventh day upon arrival.
“Notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR result, the completion of the 14-day quarantine is required,” presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said.
Starting Monday (December 13), the full travel ban for all travelers from France who have stayed there for 14 days or more starts.
“Beginning 12:01A.M. of December 13, 2021 until the end of December 15, 2021, entry in any port of the Philippines shall not be allowed for passengers coming from or who have been to France within the last 14 days prior to arrival in the Philippines, regardless of vaccination status,” Nograles said.
Only Filipinos returning to the country under the government-initiated or nongovernment-initiated repatriation, and Bayanihan flights shall be allowed entry. But they need to undergo 14-day quarantine in a designated facility.
All passengers—including Filipino seafarers—who were merely transiting through France and stayed in the airport the whole time during the layover will also be exempted from the travel ban.
France has registered an average of 44,727 cases per day in the last week—making December 2021 the highest in average cases in the country since the start of the pandemic.
Cases have increased by 99 percent from the average two weeks ago. Deaths have also increased by 103 percent.
Image credits: AP/Michel Euler