PH restricts all flights from United Kingdom starting December 24-31
Over
40 countries from the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia have
instituted travel flight restrictions on all flights to and from the United
Kingdom (UK) where a lockdown was announced Saturday over the emergence of a
new and more infectious version of the coronavirus.
In
the interest of public safety, the Philippine Government has followed suit and
enjoined the bandwagon with an interim moratorium on all incoming flights from
the UK.
April Gloria has been working as a nurse in Birmingham, England in the UK for 4 months now. Gloria said she’s taking extra care not only as a medical frontliner but also because of the new strain of COVID-19 reported in the UK.
“Nakaconcentrate po yung new
strain in Kent and London. Mabilis naman po yung action ng UK government to increase
the alert levels ng mga lugar na ito para hindi na kumalat ang virus,”
Gloria added.
As
a precautionary measure against the possible entry of this new strain of the
virus in the country, the Philippine government has a new directive on border
control.
Presidential
Spokesperson Harry Roque said, “Importanteng
balita po galling sa inyong IATF. Inaprubahan po ni Presidente (December 22)
ang pagsususpend ng lahat ng flights mula po United Kingdom simula December 24
at 12:01am hanggang December 31, 2020.”
The
travel restrictions also include those who merely transiting or with travel
histories to the UK within the last 14 days.
On
the other hand, the passenger who arrived before December 24 can be allowed to
enter the country but subject to strict quarantine and testing protocols.
Meanwhile, outbound travel to the UK shall likewise be subject to the existing
exit protocols of the Philippines and the United Kingdom.
During the press conference, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III highlighted that passengers from the UK must undergo a 14-day quarantine period.
“Yung kanilang test kasi
pweding false negative kung medyo maaga-aga na swab. Hindi tayo nakakasiguro so
maigi nayung buohin muna nating yung 14 days,”
Roque said.
The
Bureau of Immigration in a separate statement for its port assured everyone of
the strict implementation of the temporary travel restriction.