Philippines extends travel ban on India, 9 other nations

The Philippines has extended its travel ban for all inbound travellers from India and nine other nations until August 31 as cases of the Covid-19 Delta variant has continued to spike across the Southeast Asian country, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday.

The Delta variant has spread in the Philippines, where 627 cases have been reported, including 11 deaths, reports Xinhua news agency.

Aside from India where the Delta variant was first detected, the Philippines also banned travellers from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

However, the country allows returning overseas Filipino workers under its repatriation program, but they will be isolated for 14 days upon the arrival.

The Philippines is grappling with soaring Covid-19 infections fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, prompting the government to re-impose a hard lockdown in Metro Manila and other regions.

The Philippines now has more than 1.7 million confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 29,539 deaths.