Philippines adds Oman, UAE in travel ban; extends curbs until May 31

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has expanded its travel restriction to Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as it extended the enforcement of all existing curbs until May 31.

In a statement on Thursday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said travelers from Oman and the UAE are barred from entering the Philippines starting May 15 until the end of the month.

Passengers from the said countries arriving before May 15 will be allowed entry but must undergo strict quarantine and testing protocols, he noted.

Roque also said they must observe a 14-day facility-based quarantine period upon arrival, notwithstanding a negative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction result.

“Meanwhile, all existing travel restrictions of passengers coming from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are extended until 2359H of May 31, 2021,” he said.

The government has imposed travel restrictions to prevent the entry of the COVID-19 variant first detected in India.

Two cases of the COVID-19 variant from India or B.1.617.2, also known as the “double mutant” variant, were already detected in the country, but both have since recovered, according to authorities.

First 2 COVID-19 India variant cases in PH confirmed

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