BI personnel welcome cap on international arrivals

Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) welcomed the government’s decision to limit foreign arrivals for a month.

Limiting the number of inbound travelers to 1,500 daily would lessen the chance of exposure to COVID-19 amid a surge in cases in the country, the immigration officers said.

The cap on international arrivals will be implemented from March 20 to April 19.

During this period, only overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) and other individuals eligible for exemption from the travel restrictions will be allowed to enter the country.

The Philippines had 57,736 active cases as of Tuesday, according to the Department of Health.

In another development, the BI extended until Wednesday the work suspension in its main office in Intramuros, Manila.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said rigorous sanitation and disinfection of the BI main building will be performed by personnel from the agency’s general services section.

Morente advised those with booked online appointments to secure their new schedules when the main office reopens for business.

"We have other BI offices in different parts of the Metro that are open to cater to the immediate needs of the transacting public," he said.

The main office has been off-limits to the public since Monday.—AOL, GMA News