Philippines extends ban on travellers from more than 30 countries and territories

The new restrictions will remain in place until January 31

Passengers wearing hazmat suits are seen in Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Paranaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. Reuters

The Philippines has extended a ban on international travellers from more than 30 territories and countries by a further two weeks.

The ban targets countries where a more transmissible variant of Covid-19 has been detected, and the restrictions now also apply to Filipinos looking to return to the country.

The flight ban has been expanded from an initial 19 countries and territories, and will be in effect until Sunday, January 31, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

Under the travel ban, passengers arriving from the following places will not be allowed to enter the Philippines: the United States, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The UAE does not feature on the list.

Previously, Filipinos from these areas were allowed to come home on the condition that they completed a 14-day quarantine in a government-designated isolation facility, but exemptions will now be issued on a case-by-case basis by the government's coronavirus task force.

The Philippines, which has recorded its first case of a new Covid-19 variant that was first found in Britain, has the second highest number of Covid-19 cases and casualties in southeast Asia, after Indonesia.