INCOMING travelers from India and six other countries will still not be allowed to enter the country, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said yesterday, citing the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to extend the travel ban until June 15.
Roque said the recommendation was still waiting for the approval of President Duterte.
“There is no memorandum yet from the Office of the President on the continuation of the travel ban but the IATF recommendation is to extend the existing travel ban until June 15),” he said.
The Philippine government imposed restrictions on the entry of travelers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman and the United Arab Emirates until May 31 to prevent, at the time, the entry of the double-mutant coronavirus strain from India.
The ban was first imposed on travels from India on April 29 but was expanded to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka on May 7 and to Oman and the United Arab Emirates on May 15.
Despite the travel ban, the India virus was still detected among returning overseas Filipino workers who came back to the country before the restrictions were imposed.
The Department of Health has so far recorded 13 India variant cases.
Other variants of the coronavirus have likewise been detected in the country. Based on the latest data, there are already 1,071 UK variant cases, 1,246 South Africa variant cases, 2 Brazil variant cases, and 162 Philippine variant cases.
Yesterday, the DOH said it was still waiting for an advisory from the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the detection of a new variant in Vietnam.
In a virtual press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they have yet to get any confirmation from the WHO regarding the reported combination of the India and UK variants.
“The WHO said over the weekend that they have not received full details of this apparent variant in Vietnam. They said they will wait first for the details before they issue guidance to member countries of WHO,” said Vergeire.
On Saturday, Vietnam officials said they have detected a new COVID-19 variant that is a combination of the India and UK variants, and which they said spreads quickly by air.
The WHO has identified four COVID-19 variants of global concern, namely the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351), India (B.1.617.2), and Brazil (P.1) variants
All four variants of global concerns have already been detected in the Philippines, aside from the one first detected in the country, or P.3, which is a variant under investigation (VUI).
The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) yesterday again called on the government to allow senior citizens who have already completed their two doses of vaccines to already go out and visit the malls during the first two hours of the establishments’ opening, among others to eventually improve their total wellness.
NSCS chairman Franklin Quijano, during the Laging Handa public briefing, said many senior citizens or those aged 60 and above have already been fully vaccinated since the government’s launch of its COVID-19 vaccination program in March.
Senior citizens are the second priority in the government’s anti-COVID-19 vaccination program. DOH records show, however, that only about 12 percent of the elders’ population have been inoculated.
Quijano said allowing the elders to go out would provide them some “exercise” which can be good for their physical, mental and psychological health.
Roque said elders are allowed to go out provided that it is for essential travels like work, checkups and treatments, or buying essentials.
Roque reminded that while senior citizens and those with comorbidities have already been vaccinated, the vaccine only provides them protection from getting severe COVID-19 and eventually avoid being hospitalized or dying. They can still be infected with mild COVID-19. — With Gerard Naval