(SPOT.ph) Nine countries have been placed under the Philippines’ list of destinations identified as high-risk for COVID-19 infections, otherwise known as “Red List” countries. Azerbaijan, Guadeloupe, Guam, Israel, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Saint Lucia, and Switzerland were added to the "Red List" upon the approval of President Rodrigo Duterte, announced Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a statement on the evening of September 10. Travelers from these countries will not be allowed to enter the Philippines from 12 noon of September 12 until 11:59 p.m. of September 18.
The ban does not cover returning Filipinos “who will fly back to the country through government-initiated or non-government repatriation programs, as well as through special commercial flights allowed under existing resolutions issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases,” the statement specified.
Travelers coming from “Red List” countries in the 14 days immediately preceding their arrival in the Philippines, and arriving before 12 noon on September 12, will still be allowed to enter but are required to complete a 14-day quarantine, 10 days of which must be in a quarantine facility. They will also be required to take an RT-PCR test seven days after arrival, as specified in the guidelines for the Red-Yellow-Green system for international arrivals. Travelers who transited through the “Red List” countries will not be considered as “having come or having been to the said country, provided they stayed in the airport the whole time and were not cleared for entry by immigration authorities,” said Roque.
The Philippines’ new Red-Yellow-Green system for international arrivals was put in place to replace the country-specific travel bans previously implemented. Detailed guidelines were released on September 5.
