Philippines entry ban lifted: Foreign nationals allowed from May 1
Travel ban in place for those coming from India until May 14
MANILA: The Philippines has lifted its ban on the entry of foreign nationals from Saturday (May 1, 2021).
A ban, however, remains in place for those coming from India — or with a history of travel to India — the Duterte government said Friday.
The entry ban for travellers from India remains — from April 29 to May 14 — amid a massive spike in COVID-19 cases in the subcontinent, according to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
On April 26, the Philippines' COVID cases topped 1 million, according to the government. Manila's interagency task force against COVID-19 has approved the entry of foreign nationals, but subject to the following conditions:
- They must have a valid and existing visa, except for those under "Balikbayan Program”;
- They must have pre-booked accommodation for at least seven nights in an accredited quarantine hotel or facility;
- They must be subject to COVID-19 testing on the Day 6 of arrival;
- They are subject to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers (1,500 per day) at the port and the date of entry.
The Philippines earlier suspended the entry of foreign nationals starting March 22 amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases. “All these are without prejudice to immigration rules, and regulations. 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,” Roque told local media.
The Philippines has 1,028,738 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 69,354 active cases, 942,239 recoveries, and 17,145 deaths, as of April 29, 2021.