The Philippines on Friday logged 379 new COVID-19 cases, as arrivals from Portugal were prohibited to guard agains tthe Omicron variant.
The day's tally brought active cases to 11,905, with a total of 631 new recoveries and 25 new deaths reported.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Philippines has reported a total of 2,836,200 COVID-19 cases of which 2,774,334 recovered and 49,961 died.
A total of six duplicates were removed from the case count. Of these, five are recoveries.
There were 19 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries and reclassified as deaths after final validation.
Alert Level 2 restrictions for Metro Manila are set to expire on Dec. 15. While cases are on the decline, the public is strongly encouraged to avoid buffets and social gatherings over the holidays to prevent a surge.
Starting Dec. 15, arrivals from Portugal will be barred from entering the country. Travelers who will arrive in the Philippines from Portugal starting Dec. 12 meanwhile will still be allowed entry subject to COVID-19 testing and quarantine for Red List countries.
The Philippines has also banned arrivals from Portugal, France, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique.
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