The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have recommended travel restrictions on six more countries with a reported new coronavirus variant.
“Apart from the 21 countries that have already been announced, the Department of Health and the Department of Foreign Affairs have recommended the addition of 6 countries with official reports confirming the detection of this UK variant,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said at a press briefing.
However, both departments did not identify the six countries.
The new coronavirus variant was first reported in the United Kingdom. The government has already imposed travel restrictions on passengers from the following countries until January 15:
- United Kingdom
- Switzerland
- Denmark
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
- Ireland
- Japan
- Germany
- Australia
- Iceland
- South Africa
- Italy
- Israel
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Lebanon
- Canada
- Sweden
- France
- South Korea
Filipinos are still allowed to enter the country but must undergo a 14-day quarantine even if their Covid-19 test is negative.
Despite Hong Kong’s claim that a Filipino passenger tested positive for the new variant, the DOH and the Philippine Genome Center claimed that the said new variant has not yet been detected in the country. Ronald dela Cruz