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Entry of Pinoys, foreign diplomats from red list nations allowed
MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday announced that Filipinos and foreign diplomats arriving from red list countries are exempted from the travel ban imposed by the government amid the threat of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
Commissioner Jaime Morente said the new policy was adopted under a resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF) on Nov. 25.
Morente said the policy was conveyed by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to different departments and agencies last December 2.
He said the exemption extends also to the diplomats’ qualified dependents, such as their spouses and children.
“We have already instructed our immigration officers in the different ports, as well as foreign airlines, about these travel ban exemptions for immediate implementation,” he added.
Those covered by the exemption are Philippine officials and their delegations on official travel abroad; Philippine diplomats and their dependents returning to the country at the end of their tour of duty.
The Philippine foreign service posts personnel arriving for a home office consultation or with approved leave of absence; and foreign diplomats and their dependents are also exempted.
To date, the Philippines has placed 14 countries on its red list or list of countries at high risk of Covid-19 to control the spread of the Omicron variant.
In addition to South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique, the government included in the red list Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy effective until December 15.