The Philippines extends its travel restrictions on at least 30 countries and territories until January 31, 2021.

“The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) approved the recommendation to extend until January 31, 2021 the entry travel restrictions and the rules applicable to all travelers coming from or transiting,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

The ban applies to foreign travellers from the following countries:

1. The United Kingdom
2. Denmark
3. Ireland
4. Japan
5. Australia
6. Israel
7. The Netherlands
8. The People’s Republic of China, including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
9. Switzerland
10. France
11. Germany
12. Iceland
13. Italy
14. Lebanon
a. Singapore
15. Sweden
16. South Korea
17. South Africa
18. Canada
19. Spain
20. United States of America
21. Portugal
22. India
23. Finland
24. Norway
25. Jordan
26. Brazil
27. Austria
28. Pakistan
29. Jamaica
30. Luxembourg
31. Oman

The government also directed the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to strictly implement issuances against airlines that allow the boarding of passengers who are prohibited from entering the Philippines.

“The IATF, in coordination with other agencies, may issue implementing guidelines on the exemptions to these entry restrictions,” Roque added.

Malacanang also said that there will be intensified contact tracing protocols
by expanding to third-generation contacts for known new variant cases.

All identified close contacts are required to undergo a strict facility-based 14-day quarantine while remaining contacts from the flight manifest shall be advised of the appropriate quarantine protocols.

Also, those who are found to be positive, apart from the prescribed testing and quarantine protocols, shall undergo whole genome sequencing to be conducted by the Department of Health (DOH), University of the Philippines Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC), and the UP National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH).

Roque also said that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the DOTr One-Stop Shop shall ensure that appropriate protocols are implemented for all those found to be positive of the new COVID-19 variants.