The Philippines joined other countries in halting flights from the United Kingdom as fears grow over a new, possibly more infectious variant of SARS-CoV-2.

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“President Rodrigo Duterte approved on Tuesday night, December 22, 2020 a temporary suspension of flights from the United Kingdom starting December 24, 2020 12:01 am until December 31, 2020,” announced Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque in a video message sent to reporters on Wednesday, December 23.

Even passengers not arriving directly from the UK but who had been in the UK “within 14 days immediately preceding arrival to the Philippines,” including those just transiting through the Philippines, are also restricted from entering the country during the same period.

What about before December 24?

Meanwhile, passengers from the UK arriving before 12:01 of December 24 won’t be barred from entering the Philippines but will be required to undergo stricter quarantine and testing protocols.

“Such protocols include observation of an absolute 14-day quarantine period in the Athlete’s Village in New Clark City, notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test result,” said Roque. 

Athletes Village is a compound intended to house visiting athletes from abroad during sporting events like the Southeast Asian Games. Since the start of the pandemic in the Philippines, it has been used as an isolation facility for persons coming from abroad.

It is found north of Metro Manila, in the province of Tarlac, around two hours away from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Meanwhile, travel to the UK is not yet barred but subject to existing exit protocols of the Philippines, said Roque. – Rappler.com