Philippines bans foreigners from US amid COVID-19 UK variant fears

Travel restrictions are now also in place for passengers from the United States, Malacañang said Wednesday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said travel restrictions are already effective but made clear that Filipinos from the US can still return to the Philippines.

"Yes, in the first place, it’s not a travel ban," Roque told reporters when asked if the ban is officially imposed.

"It’s restrictive travel since Filipinos can come home. Yes, it’s already effective," he said in a message.

Roque, however, took back this announcement. He deferred to the Department of Health, which remained in coordination with the World Health Organization and US authorities as regards the threat of the new variant.

The new variant of COVID-19 has been reported to have already reached Colorado.

The DOH said travelers from countries not covered by the travel restrictions would have to undergo a 14-day quarantine.

Earlier on Wednesday, Roque said the Palace is "closely monitoring" the situation in the United States, where one state has reported its first case of a new coronavirus variant.

The first known US case of the variant was reportedly detected in Colorado on Tuesday, less than a day President Rodrigo Duterte imposed a ban on travelers coming from the United Kingdom (UK) and 19 other countries where the variant has been recorded.

Roque said in an earlier statement that whether Duterte may impose restrictions on travelers coming from the US will be upon the joint recommendation of the Department of Health and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Apart from the UK, where the new coronavirus variant was first discovered, the following countries are covered by travel restrictions until January 15:

• Denmark
• Ireland
• Japan
• Australia’

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• Israel
• The Netherlands
• Hong Kong
• Switzerland
• France
• Germany
• Iceland
• Italy
• Lebanon
• Singapore
• Sweden
• South Korea
• South Africa
• Canada
• Spain

Filipinos coming from these places will be allowed to enter the Philippines but will be required to undergo an absolute facility-based 14-day quarantine period even if they test negative in an RT-PCR test. -NB, GMA News