The Philippine government is barring persons from Indonesia from entering the country from July 16 to 31, said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque on Wednesday, July 14.

The ban covers people coming from Indonesia or who have been there 14 days before their intended arrival in the Philippines.

Before July 16, these persons can still enter the Philippines but will be required to quarantine in a government-accredited facility for 14 days, regardless of their results from a COVID-19 reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR ) test, said Roque.

“This action is undertaken to prevent the further spread and community transmission of COVID-19 variants in the Philippines,” said Roque.

The new travel restrictions come amid a surge in COVID-19 infections in Indonesia, despite its rollout of vaccines.

The Philippines began enforcing travel restrictions in relation to the more transmissible Delta variant in late April, when it put in place a travel ban on persons coming from India. The Delta variant was first detected in India.

There are existing travel restrictions covering India, Oman, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the United Arab Emirates that will also last until July 31.

However, the government has allowed overseas Filipino workers from these countries to return to the Philippines through certain repatriation programs. – Rappler.com