PITONG bansa pa ang idinagdag ng Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) sa travel restrictions hanggang Disyembre 15 dahil sa umusbong na bagong COVID-19 variant Omicron.

Ang mga bansang Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, at Italy ay idinagdag sa red list.

Nauna nang idinagdag sa red list ang south African nations kabilang na ang South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, at Mozambique.

Sa isang kalatas, sinabi ni acting Presidential spokesperson at Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles na ang inbound international travel ng isa man sa kabilang sa red list countries sa loob ng 14 araw bago pa ang pagdating sa bansa ay hindi pinapayagan kahit ano pa man ang vaccination status nito.

“Only Filipinos returning to the country via government-initiated or non-government-initiated repatriation and Bayanihan Flights may be allowed entry subject to the prevailing entry, testing, and quarantine protocols for Red List countries, jurisdictions, or territories,” ayon kay Nograles.

“Passengers who are already in transit coming from the red list countries within 14 days prior to their arrival in the Philippines are exempted from this restriction. Upon their arrival in the country, they are required to undergo facility-based quarantine for 14 days, with testing on the 7th day,” dagdag na pahayag ni Nograles.

Sa kabilang dako, inaprubahan din aniya ng IATF ang temporary suspension ng IATF Resolution No. 150-A series of 2021, kung saan ay pinapayagan ang mga fully vaccinated national ng non-visa required countries na bumisita sa Green List countries, territories, o jurisdictions para sa 14 araw. (CHRISTIAN DALE)