The Philippines has barred the travel of Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to the red list countries in the wake of the rising threat of the Omicron variant.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) added that this was also on account of the spike in COVID cases in areas included in the red list.
POEA chief Bernard Olalia said that based on the latest IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) resolution, all international flights from countries with cases of Omicron have been canceled.
“Since they are on the red list, all incoming flights are canceled and once all international flights are canceled, there will be no outbound flights as well. Our OFWs bound for these countries are barred from leaving as per IATF resolution,” he said.
The POEA is set to issue an advisory informing OFWs of the measure.
Meanwhile, starting December 3, the entry of travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy into the country will be prohibited.
The authorities said that only Filipinos returning to the country via government-initiated or non-government-initiated repatriation and Bayanihan Flights may be allowed entry subject to “the prevailing entry, testing, and quarantine protocols for ‘red list’ countries/jurisdictions/territories.”
Those OFWs who are taking their Christmas vacation from ‘red list’ countries will be allowed “in the country subject to health protocols.”
Olalia said there are quarantine protocols to undergo quarantine for 14 days and test for Covid-19 before returning to one’s provinces.
Philippines bars travel of OFWs to ‘red list’ countries
Source: Pinoy News Udpates PH
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