FOREIGN tourists are still barred from entering the country despite the easing of inbound foreign travel restrictions, the Bureau of Immigration said yesterday.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said only foreigners with valid and existing immigrant and non-immigrant visa, as well as foreign spouses and children of and travelling with returning Filipinos will be allowed to pass through strict immigration screening.
Morente reminded incoming foreign travelers that they need to present a pre-booked accommodation for at least seven nights in an accredited quarantine facility as a requirement for entry to the country.
He said foreign diplomats and members of international organizations are exempted from the requirement.
“Foreign tourists are still banned from entering the country and said restrictions remain effective until it is lifted by the Inter-Agency Task Force,” Morente said, pointing out that the travel status is similar to the international travel restriction imposed by the government prior to March 22 when President Duterte reimposed a travel ban on the entry of all foreigners and ordered strict border controls in and out of Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal, collectively called the NCR Plus, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
“The recent easing or travel restrictions applies only to foreigners who were allowed to come here before March 22 and they should have valid and existing visas at the time of their arrivals in our ports of entry,” Morente said.
The government on Friday announced that foreigners with existing immigrant and non-immigrant visas will already be allowed to enter the country starting May 1, even as the NCR Plus bubble continued to be under the modified enhanced community quarantine to further stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Morente likewise reminded the public that all travelers from India are banned from entering the country until May 14 amid the COVID-19 upwelling in the world’s top 2 most populous country.
Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) yesterday announced it is reopening its offices in the NCR Plus bubble starting today, following a month-long suspension of operations due to the cases surge.
In a statement sent on Viber, the LTO also said all offices, including those in the provinces, will continue to implement a skeletal workforce and work shifting scheme as mandated by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) and the Department of Health (DOH) in areas under MECQ.
In Pasay City, Mayor Emi Calixto=Rubiano said she had ordered the deployment of more policemen and tanods in the city’s barangays to ensure the strict enforcement of the 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew hours in the city. — With Noel Talacay
