No travel ban yet to Iran, Japan, Singapore: DOH

“The task force did not include them because they are just in the medium risk. There are standards which we use to decide on the travel ban,” Duque said in a press briefing at the DOH main office in Manila. (PIA file photo)

MANILA – Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday said the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has not decided to include Iran, Japan, and Singapore on the list of countries under the travel ban.

“The task force did not include them because they are just in the medium risk. There are standards which we use to decide on the travel ban,” Duque said in a press briefing at the DOH main office in Manila.

While Iran has the highest coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) case fatality rate at 7.3 percent compared to China’s case fatality rate at less than 4 percent (inside Hubei and Wuhan), Duque confirmed that it is still not included on the travel ban list.

“Mukhang (It seems like a) rapid transmission and this could be on account of weak surveillance. Nonetheless, the IATF-EID felt that the ban for Iran is not called for as of now, because the number of travelers is low, so the risk of spread, the risk of entering the Philippines is low, so we leave it at that,” he said.

Duque added the DOH would be doing a day-to-day assessment of the situation so the travel restrictions on certain countries may change.

On Tuesday, the IATF-EID resolved to partially lift the travel restrictions to South Korea during the 9th Task Force meeting on the Covid-19 Health Situation.

Filipinos heading to South Korea, except to North Gyeongsang Province including Daegu City and Cheongdo County, will be allowed to travel provided that they sign a declaration signifying their knowledge and understanding of the risks involved.

“South Korea has also reported a low case fatality rate of only 0.5 percent, and the successful containment of local transmission to only certain areas. The IATF also agreed to expand travel exemptions allowing dependents of permanent residents of South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau to travel to these areas as long as they also sign a risk-acknowledgment declaration,” Duque said.