Philippines Extends: Flight Restrictions From UK Until January

JAKARTA - The Philippine government has extended the ban on flights from the UK for two weeks until mid-January 2021 after enacting the policy on December 24-31, 2020.

Reported by Antara, Sunday, December 27, the extension took effect after local authorities passed the new rules, in order to prevent the entry of a new variant of COVID-19 into the Philippines.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned the government will impose a second quarantine if positive cases of COVID-19 continue to increase ahead of the first vaccinations scheduled for May 2021.

A number of countries have closed their borders to flights from the UK and South Africa, two countries that have reported a new variant of COVID-19.

Duterte extended the ban on flights from Britain for two weeks until mid-January 2021. He said the Philippines may impose travel restrictions on countries that report local transmission of the new strain of COVID-19 that is currently endemic in Britain.

The Philippines ranks second in Southeast Asia for the most positive cases and deaths, after Indonesia. The total number of positive patients in the Philippines reached 496,000 people and 9,067 of them died.

So far, cases of the new British and South African variants of COVID-19 have not been found in the Philippines.

In an emergency meeting with health experts and government officials, Duterte ordered all passengers from Britain, or who had transited through the country, to undergo a 14-day quarantine.

All passengers from the region who have reported the first case of the new COVID-19 variant are also required to undergo independent isolation. So far, the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Japan have reported their first cases of the new variant of COVID-19.

Duterte promised to eliminate vaccines for a total of 108 million citizens. Deliveries and vaccinations will begin in May 2021.

"If (within that time) the number of cases continues to get worse then you will immediately take precautionary steps, then we will likely re-enforce the quarantine," Duterte said.

The Philippines in mid-May 2020 imposed the strictest and longest quarantine rules. However, the government gradually eased restrictions and made easing in June to reopen the economy.

The Philippines is still negotiating with several vaccine manufacturers such as Pfizer Inc, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Novavax Inc, Sinovac, and Gamaleya Institute, to provide approximately 80 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for its citizens.