The Philippines may allow the entry of foreign nationals starting May 1, 2021 except for those coming from India or with a history of travel to India, Malacanang said Friday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque clarified that travelers coming from India—of Filipino citizenship or otherwise—will be denied entry until May 14.
Roque said strict guidelines would still be followed after the Inter-Agency Task Force adopted Resolution 113, which provides that foreign nationals allowed under previous IATF resolutions can enter the country provided they should have the following conditions:, They must have a valid and existing visa, except for those under Balikbayan Program; they must have pre-booked accommodation for at least seven nights in an accredited quarantine hotel or facility; they must be subject to COVID-19 testing on the sixth day of arrival; they are subject to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers (1,500 per day) at the port and the date of entry.
The Philippines has barred the entry of travelers from India starting April 29 to May 14 amid the surge of COVID-19 cases in the South Asian nation due to a double-mutant variant.
Meanwhile, the IATF-EID on Thursday allowed restaurants, eateries and other food preparation establishments to resume their indoor dine-in services in areas under MECQ at an initial 10-percent seating capacity to enable Filipinos cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The resumption of operations of beauty salons, beauty parlors, barbershops and nail spas at an initial 30 percent venue in MECQ zones has also been allowed, Roque said.
Roque said these establishments must comply with minimum health standards since the national and local government and the private sector have always been working together to ensure the safety of the public.
“We expect that the local government and the private owners themselves–mall operators– will ensure that restaurants will follow the 10 percent dine-in capacity and 30 percent capacity for the four personal care industries,” he said.