MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines extended the ban on travelers coming from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, Malacañang announced Monday.
President Rodrigo Duterte “has approved the extension of restrictions currently imposed on inbound travel” from these seven countries until from June 1 to 15, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
Related Stories
The prohibition on travelers from India had been in place since April 29 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus variant that originated there. Other nations were eventually included to the list of countries covered by the travel restrictions.
Philippine health authorities have detected at least 13 cases of the COVID-19 variant first identified in India.
The B.1.617 variant was first detected in India last year and has been blamed for the virus surge in the South Asian nation. The World Health Organization classified the variant as being “of concern.”