[UPDATED] Philippines to ban arrivals from countries with cases of new COVID-19 variant

[UPDATED Jan. 13, 2021]

Aviation Updates Philippines – The Philippines will ban travelers from countries where cases of a new COVID-19 variant that was first discovered in the United Kingdom have been confirmed.

As per Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Resolution No. 91, foreigners arriving from the following countries will not be allowed to enter the Philippines until January 15, 2021:

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

Additional countries:

• United States (effective January 3, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Portugal (effective January 8, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• India (effective January 8, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Finland (effective January 8, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Norway (effective January 8, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Jordan (effective January 8, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Brazil (effective January 8, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Austria (effective January 10, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• China (effective January 13, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Pakistan (effective January 13, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Jamaica (effective January 13, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Luxembourg (effective January 13, 2021 until January 15, 2021)
• Oman (effective January 13, 2021 until January 15, 2021)

All returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be allowed to enter the country but will be required to quarantine for two weeks regardless of swab test results. 

Passengers who have been in any of the countries listed above within 14 days before arrival in the Philippines will be permitted entry but will be required to undergo a strict 14-day quarantine notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR result.

Restrictions on travelers arriving from countries that report cases of the new COVID-19 variant may also be imposed upon recommendation by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The Philippine government first announced a travel ban covering passengers arriving from the UK on December 23 following the discovery of a new, more infectious COVID-19 variant there in early December. The new variant, known as B.1.1.7, is believed to be up to 70% more contagious than other known COVID-19 variants but is not necessarily more deadly, according to scientists.

The travel ban covering passengers arriving from the UK was originally set to expire on December 31 but has since been extended.

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