Philippines bans travelers from Malaysia, Thailand

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday banned travelers from Malaysia and Thailand due to the emergence of the more infectious Delta variant of coronavirus, Malacañang said.

"The President decided to include Malaysia and Thailand among countries where there is a travel ban [on inbound travelers]. This includes those who have trave history in these countries for the last 14 days," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

"This will be effective from July 25 until July 31," Roque added.

Roque, however, said the ban excludes those overseas Filipino workers on board repatriation flights.

The Philippines earlier banned travelers from Indonesia which is also dealing with rising cases of Delta variant. 

On Thursday night, the Department of Health confirmed the local transmission of COVID-19 Delta variant in the Philippines.

The DOH earlier said 12 new Delta variant infections were reported in the country, raising the total cases to 47. — RSJ, GMA News