MANILA, Philippines — Travel restrictions on inbound travelers from 10 countries, including India have been extended until Aug. 15 amid the threat of the feared COVID-19 Delta variant, Malacañang said Friday.
The travel ban, which also covers India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, was supposed to lapse on July 31.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the government’s pandemic task force and President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation to extend travel restrictions.
The government earlier imposed these restrictions to prevent the entry of the highly contagious variant first detected in India.
So far, the Philippines has detected a total of 216 Delta variant cases. The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed local transmission of the variant in the country.