MANILA – Foreign nationals are now allowed to enter the country starting today except those coming from India, the Malacañang announced on Friday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on Thursday approved the lifting of the travel ban.
According to him, foreigners entering the country must satisfy several requirements such as valid and existing visa at the time of entry, except for those qualified under the Balikbayan Program; they must have pre-booked accommodation for at least seven nights in an accredited quarantine hotel or facility; and they should be tested for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in their quarantine facility on the sixth day from the date of their arrival.
They must be also subject to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers (1,500 per day) at the port and date of entry.
However, travel restrictions shall continue to be in effect for those coming from India or those with a travel history to India.
The country imposed a travel restriction on travelers from India on April 29 to May 14 after the surge in cases of COVID-19 there, which pushed the health care system close to collapse in some of its major cities.
“The Commissioner of Immigration shall have the exclusive prerogative to decide on the waiver or recall of exclusion orders of foreign nationals, subject to regular reporting to the IATF Secretariat,” said Roque./PN
