Travel restrictions on 10 countries to be lifted on Sept. 6 —Roque

President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to lift the travel restrictions on 10 countries effective September 6, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Saturday.

The restrictions will be lifted on Sept. 6 on the following countries:

• India
• Pakistan
• Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka
• Nepal
• United Arab Emirates
• Oman
• Thailand
• Malaysia
• Indonesia

The travel ban was imposed as part of measures to prevent the transmission of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

The ban supposed to end on August 31, but was extended to September 5.

Roque said travelers arriving from the 10 countries need to comply with "the appropriate entry, testing and quarantine protocols, depending on the country's approved 'listing.'"

Green list

The IATF also approved including the following countries, jurisdictions and territories on the "Green list":

• American Samoa
• Anguilla
• Australia
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
• Cayman Islands
• Chad
• China
• Comoros
• Republic of the Congo
• Djibouti
• Equatorial Guinea
• Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
• Gabon
• Grenada
• Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China)
• Hungary
• Mali
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Montserrat
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• Niger
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Palau
• Poland
• Saba
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• Sierra Leone
• Sint Eustatius
• Slovakia
• Taiwan

Fully vaccinated Filipino travelers from areas on the "Green list" will be subjected to a seven-day facility quarantine, with the COVID-19 test to be taken on the fifth day.

Yellow list

Meanwhile, countries, jurisdictions and territories identified as having moderate risk for COVID-19 have been placed on the "Yellow list."

"The IATF classified 'Yellow List' countries/jurisdictions/ territories as 'Moderate Risk' based on the following metrics: (i) for populations greater than 100,000, the incidence rate shall be 50 to 500; and (ii) for populations less than 100,000, the COVID-19 case counts shall be 50 to 500; and testing rate of tests over the past 28 days per 100,000 population," Roque said.

International inbound travelers from areas on the "Yellow list", regardless of their vaccination status, shall undergo 14-day quarantine upon arrival, with the first 10 days at a quarantine facility and the remaining four days under home quarantine.

They will also have RT-PCR testing on the seventh day, counting the day of their arrival as Day 1.

Red list

The IATF also identified countries, jurisdictions and territories at high risk and placed them on the "Red list".

"The IATF classified 'Red List' countries/jurisdictions/territories as 'High Risk' based on the following metrics: (i) for populations greater than 100,000 the incidence rate shall be more than 500; and (ii) for populations less than 100,000, the COVID-19 case counts shall be more than 500, and testing rate of tests over the past 28 days per 100,000 population," Roque said.

Inbound international travelers from areas on the Red list, regardless of their vaccination status, will not be allowed entry to the Philippines.

However, Filipinos repatriated from such countries under a government-to-government arrangement and on Bayanihan flights will be allowed to enter the country subject to entry, testing and quarantine protocols.

They shall all undergo 14-day quarantine upon arrival, with the first 10 days in a quarantine facility, and the remaining four days under home quarantine.

RT-PCR testing will be conducted on the seventh day, with the day of their arrival counting as Day 1.

Passengers, both Filipinos and foreigners, transiting through a "Red list" country, jurisdiction and territory and having stayed only at the airport the whole time will not be considered as having come from said area, Roque said. They will undergo existing testing and quarantine protocols. —KG, GMA News