Locsin to oppose Singapore travel ban

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Friday said he would oppose extending to Singapore the Philippines’ temporary travel ban for foreigners to stop the spread of the new 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“I will not support a travel ban to and from Singapore. A ban should not hinge on the incidence of infections/fatalities but on the demonstrated capability of the state concerned to contain the disease and strictly regulate ingress and egress from its air/sea ports,” Locsin said on Twitter.

Locsin was reacting to proposals to ban the entry of foreigners from Singapore, which, as of Thursday, had 58 confirmed coronavirus patients, of whom 15 have recovered and been discharged. The island-state, which has a population of about 5.7 million, has one of the highest cases of COVID-19 outside China.

Locsin, however, warned about hastily imposing travel bans, saying a country’s response to a local infection should be evaluated first. —Jerome Aning

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