Six countries under the red list will be barred from entering the country effective January 1, 2022, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, in an advisory, said they will be implementing the latest resolution from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) on the new red, yellow, and green lists.
Morente said the new listing will be in place starting the new year, up until January 15, 2022.
Under the red list are Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Spain. Foreign nationals coming from red list countries, or who have a travel history there within the last 14 days preceding arrival, shall be barred entry and be sent back to their point of origin.
Filipinos coming from red list countries, on the other hand, may be able to return via government- or non-government-initiated repatriation flights or bayanihan flights.
Also updated is the green list of countries including Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, China (Mainland), Cote d’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Fiji, The Gambia, Guinea, Hong Kong (Chinese Special Administrative Region), Indonesia, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Montserrat, Oman, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands), Saint Barthelemy, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Taiwan, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Uganda, and United Arab Emirates.
All other countries, territories, or jurisdictions not mentioned are under the Yellow List.
Only Filipinos, balikbayans, and foreign nationals with long-term visas coming from green and yellow list countries may be allowed entry to the Philippines. Following the latest resolution, tourists are still not allowed to enter the country,” he clarified.
Meanwhile, despite the travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 Omicron variant, Morente shared that things are looking better in the international travel sector.
“While the numbers remain lower than pre-pandemic figures, international travelers both inbound and outbound doubled as compared to 2020,” said Morente, adding that “little by little, the travel industry is recovering, and hopefully we see continued progress until 2022.”
The government meanwhile placed Pakistan under its yellow list. Pakistan was previously included in the green list.