Philippines updates list of 'green' countries
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has updated its list of countries classified as low risk for COVID-19, Malacañang said Friday.
The updated classification will take effect from October 16 to 31.
The following countries are under “green” list:
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Bhutan
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Cayman Islands
- Chad
- China (Mainland)
- Comoros
- Republic of the Congo
- Cook Islands
- Eritrea
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
- Gibraltar
- Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China)
- Kiribati
- Madagascar
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Montserrat
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Niue
- North Korea
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau
- Poland
- Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- Saint Helena
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Samoa
- Sierra Leone
- Sint Eustatius
- Solomon Islands
- Sudan
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Yemen
Fully vaccinated Filipino and foreign nationals from “green” countries are no longer required to undergo facility-based quarantine upon arriving in the country. But they need to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within three days prior to departure from their country of origin.
Meanwhile, the pandemic task force included Romania on the “red” list.
Individuals coming from “red” countries within the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter the Philippines, unless they are Filipinos returning via government-initiated repatriation.
All other countries and jurisdictions not mentioned are under the “yellow” list.
Fully vaccinated individuals from “yellow” countries need to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day. Then, they need to undergo home quarantine until their 10th day.
Foreign nationals need to secure pre-booked accommodation of at least six days. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
Find the latest travel and tourism news from around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. Main image by AFP/Romeo Gacad
Airlines will fly 4.35 billion passengers this year, close to the 2019 record as the industry bounces back from the Covid pandemic, an industry group said on Monday.
The sector will also be back in the green, with net profits forecast to reach $9.8 billion in 2023, or double previous estimates, boosted by the end of China's Covid restrictions, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The association added that its 2022 losses were half as bad as previously estimated at $3.6 billion.
"Airline financial performance in 2023 is beating expectations," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement during the association's annual general meeting in Istanbul.
"Stronger profitability is supported by several positive developments. China lifted Covid-19 restrictions earlier in the year than anticipated," Walsh said. — AFP
Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific reports its first annual operating profit since 2019 as the airline fights to return to pre-pandemic flight capacity.
"Cathay Pacific has experienced three challenging years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 2022 very much being a year of two halves," chairman Patrick Healy says in a statement announcing the results..
Cathay is still trailing regional rivals such as Singapore Airlines, with Hong Kong's axing of harsh pandemic curbs -- including mandatory hotel quarantine and strict testing requirements -- only beginning in the fall of last year.
The airline operated at one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity in December but expects to reach 70% of that figure by the end of 2023, the company says. — AFP
German airline giant Lufthansa says Friday it returned to annual profit in 2022 after two years of losses, its fortunes lifted by rebounding demand as economies reopened after COVID-19 shutdowns.
The group reported a net profit of 791 million euros ($839 million) for last year. This compares to a net loss of 2.2 billion euros in 2021 and 6.7 billion euros in 2020.
"Lufthansa is back," says the company's CEO Carsten Spohr. — AFP
People hoping to take advantage of a Hong Kong scheme to give away half a million free airline tickets face hours-long online queues on Wednesday, as the Asian financial hub bids to woo tourists back.
The city last month launched a campaign to reboot its reputation as "Asia's world city", after years of strict pandemic-related travel restrictions and a crackdown on sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong became one of the last places in the world to drop its outdoor mask mandate, which city leader John Lee said was a sign that it was "resuming normalcy". — AFP
Australian airline Qantas says Thursday it bounced back into profit in late 2022, hailing a "huge turnaround" after swallowing massive losses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national carrier posted a second-half profit of Aus$1.43 billion (US$974 million) before tax, after accumulating Aus$7 billion in losses across the previous three years.
Chief executive Alan Joyce says surging demand for flights had boosted the company's fortunes while announcing a plan to buy back Aus$500 million in Qantas shares. — AFP
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