MANILA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Foreign nationals travelling from or transiting through the United Arab Emirates and Hungary will be barred from entering the Philippines starting Jan. 17, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday.
The newly announced restriction is in the Southeast Asian country's further efforts to curb the spread of the new and more contagious coronavirus variants.
Roque said that foreign travellers from the UAE and Hungary shall be prohibited from entering the Philippines from Jan. 17 to 31, 2021.
Arrivals before Jan. 17 will be required to undergo an absolute facility-based 14-day quarantine even if their coronavirus tests show negative results, Roque added.
Roque said Filipino citizens shall be allowed to enter the Philippines.
Filipino travelers are also required to complete a 14-day quarantine even if coronavirus tests show negative results, he added.
The Philippines has earlier imposed travel restrictions on 33 countries and regions with confirmed new strains until Jan. 31. The addition of the UAE and Hungary brings the total to 35.
The Philippine government included the UAE in the travel restriction list after a 29-year-old Filipino man who visited Dubai tested positive for the new virus variant. The patient, who traveled to Dubai on Dec. 27, returned to Manila on Jan. 7.
The travel restriction list also includes Australia, Britain, the United States and China.
The Philippines now has reported 496,646 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 9,876 deaths. Enditem
