Filipino and foreign diplomats from red list countries now allowed entry —BI

Filipino and foreign diplomats from red list countries have been exempted from the travel ban and are now allowed entry in the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration announced Wednesday.

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said this also includes the qualified dependents of foreign diplomats such as their spouses and children.

“We have already instructed our immigration officers in the different ports, as well as foreign airlines, about these travel ban exemptions for immediate implementation,” Morente said in a statement.

Those covered by the exemption include Philippine officials and their delegations on official travel abroad, Philippine diplomats and their dependents returning to the Philippines at the end of their tour of duty, and Philippine foreign service posts personnel arriving for a home office consultation or with approved leave of absence.

Meanwhile, Bureau of Quarantine director III Dr. Roberto Salvador Jr. said the diplomats must first complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine before being released.

“Kailangan nila mag undergo ng 14 days mandatory straight quarantine bago sila makauwi sa pamilya nila,” Salvador said at the Laging Handa briefing.

(They need to undergo a 14-day mandatory straight quarantine before they can go home to their families.)

According to the BI, the policy was adopted in an Inter-Agency Task Force resolution last November 25. It was conveyed to different departments and agencies last December 2.

The Philippines has imposed travel restrictions over  Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, and Switzerland.—AOL, GMA News