The Department of Health will be subjecting all travellers who tested positive for the coronavirus disease to genome sequencing to determine if they have the new UK COVID-19 variant and other emerging new variants.

The decision comes after a 29-year-old man from Dubai tested positive for the new COVID-19 variant.

“Aside from those restricted countries we are now going to test all of those passengers or incoming travelers na nanggagaling sa lahat ng sulok ng mundo. Pagpasok nila dito they will be swabbed and lahat ng magpo-positive we will now start to test para tayo ay nakakasigurado,” Health spokesperson Maria Rosario said in a press briefing.

The DOH said that the Philippine Genome Center has the capacity to detect all kinds of COVID-19 variants.

The DOH however believes that a total travel ban will be unnecessary for now.

“Bakit hindi nagpopropose ng complete travel ban for everybody? We want to balance health with the economy that we have right now. Hindi talaga feasible for us to do that,” Vergeire added.

Earlier, the government extended its ban to at least 30 countries over the new UK COVID-19 variant to January 31.

“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:

a. The United Kingdom

b. Denmark

c. Ireland

d. Japan

e. Australia

f. Israel

g. The Netherlands

h. The People’s Republic of China, including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

i. Switzerland

j. France

k. Germany

l. Iceland

m. Italy

n. Lebanon

o. Singapore

p. Sweden

q. South Korea

r. South Africa

s. Canada

t. Spain

u. United States of America

v. Portugal

w. India

x. Finland

y. Norway

z. Jordan

aa.   Brazil

bb. Austria

cc.   Pakistan

dd. Jamaica

ee.   Luxembourg

ff.  Oman

(TDT)