Philippines extends ban on travellers coming from India, six other countries | Travel - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Philippines extends ban on travellers coming from India, six other countries

ANI |
Jun 01, 2021 11:02 AM IST

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte approves extension of the coronavirus restrictions on travellers from seven countries to prevent the spread of the B.1617 "double mutant" variant of the Covid-19 first discovered in India

Philippines government has extended the ban on inbound travel from seven countries, including India, until June 15 to prevent transmission of the Covid-19 variant -- B.1617.

Philippines extends ban on travellers coming from India, six other countries(Photo by Wander Fleur on Unsplash)
Philippines extends ban on travellers coming from India, six other countries(Photo by Wander Fleur on Unsplash)

According to CNN, the Philippines government announced on Monday the extension of the ban on travellers coming from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

President Rodrigo Duterte approved the extension of the restrictions on travellers from the seven countries upon the recommendation of the national task force against Covid-19, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

In a series of announcements from late April to mid-May, the country barred the entry of travellers from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates until May 31. This is to prevent the spread of the B.1617 "double mutant" variant of the coronavirus first discovered in India.

Even with this directive, however, the Philippines on May 11 confirmed its first two cases of the B.1617 variant -- both returning overseas Filipinos who had no travel history from India. Since then, the country has detected a total of 13 people infected with the same variant.

According to the Department of Health, there are also now at least 1,071 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant from the United Kingdom and 1,246 cases of the B.1.351 variant from South Africa. These are seen to have contributed to the spikes in infections in some areas.

Meanwhile, the Philippines had reported 6,684 new Covid-19 infections yesterday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,230,301. The death toll rose to 20,966 after 107 more patients died from the viral disease.

Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter

Oscars 2024: From Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On