Philippines relaxes travel restrictions on South Korea amid COVID-19 outbreak

The Philippines on Tuesday relaxed its travel restrictions on South Korea days after it barred citizens from going to the East Asian nation as tourists due to the novel coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the decision was made by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) following its ninth meeting on Tuesday.

“The IATF has approved to allow Filipinos to travel to South Korea except to the whole of North Gyeongsang Province, including Daegu City and Cheongdo County, where the virus outbreak is concentrated,” Panelo said.

“All Filipinos who intend to visit other parts of South Korea shall execute and sign a declaration, signifying their knowledge and understanding of the risks involved in their trip. A health advisory pamphlet shall likewise be handed out to them upon their departure.”

Previously, only Korean permanent resident visa holders, overseas Filipino workers and student visa holders are allowed to go to South Korea.

However, the ban on travelers coming from North Gyeongsang province, Daeugu and Cheongdo remains in place, according to Panelo.

South Korea, a top tourist destination for Filipinos, on Tuesday reported 600 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths from the virus, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The outbreak is the largest outside of China, with most of them centered in the city of Daegu, and many of the cases following the 31st patient had ties to the congregation there.

Infection numbers have surged in the world's 12th-largest economy in recent days and the country's central bank has warned of negative growth in the first quarter, noting the epidemic will hit both consumption and exports, while scores of events have been cancelled or postponed over the contagion. —KBK, GMA News