Senators urge gov’t to ban travelers from EU to protect Pinoys from new COVID-19 strain

At least three senators on Tuesday urged the government to ban travelers from Europe after a new strain of COVID-19 virus was discovered in the United Kingdom.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the Department of Health should "act decisively and not procrastinate."

"Recall that in February, DOH did not immediately ban travels from China, which directly caused the deadly local transmission of COVID-19," Drilon said in a message.

Senator Joel Villanueva, in a separate message to reporters, also agreed that a temporary travel ban for those coming from Europe would ensure that the new COVID-19 strain would not spread in the Philippines.

"We must do everything to ensure the safety and protection of our people," Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said, also answering in the affirmative if he is in favor of a travel ban.

The Department of Health, meanwhile, said the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine has yet to monitor this new strain of the coronavirus in the country, and assured that efforts are being made to keep an eye on this development.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is no need to impose stricter travel restrictions, given that the country only allows entry for diplomats, individuals with businesses in the Philippines and Filipino citizens.

"Iyon pa lang ang pinapapasok natin and strenghened rin ang measures natin on testing, quarantine na isinasagawa sa ating borders," Vergeire said.

Protocols are in place to detect and prevent an outbreak of a new COVID-19 strain in the country and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases would discuss this matter in its next meeting, the Palace assured.

The European neighbors of the UK have already placed new travel restrictions to curb the potential spread of the new COVID-19 virus strain.

Some United States officials also urged vigilance regarding this UK variant of COVID-19 which appears to be 70% more transmissible.

Nonetheless, the UK mutation was "very unlikely" to be resistant to current vaccines against COVID-19, according to US COVID-19 vaccine program head Dr. Moncef Slaoui.

A total of 461,505 COVID-19 cases had so far been recorded in the Philippines—429,207 of whom recovered and 8,957 died.

There are still 23,341 active cases  in the country. — Dona Magsino/RSJ, GMA News