Philippines temporarily bans travellers from Canada due to COVID-19 variant

Philippines temporarily bans travellers from Canada due to COVID-19 variant
Nicholas Pescod/CHEK News
Philippine Airlines flight seen landing in Vancouver. Canadians will not be able to travel to the Philippines due to concerns around the COVID-19 variant that was first detected in the United Kingdom.

Canadians will not be able to travel to the Philippines due to concerns around the COVID-19 variant that was first detected in the United Kingdom.

The Philippine government recently issued a memorandum banning travellers from 19 countries including Canada, Japan, Germany, Iceland and Australia from entering the country until Jan. 15 in an attempt to limit the spread of the new COVID-19 variant.

Filipino citizens, including those in Canada, are allowed to travel to the Philippines but must undergo a “facility-based 14-day quarantine period.”

Israel, Lebanon, South Africa and are among the other countries included in the ban. The United States, which has the highest number of recorded COVID-19 infections and deaths of anywhere in the world, was not included in the ban.

Meanwhile, travellers from the United Kingdom have not been allowed to enter the Philippines since late December and is expected to remain in place until Jan. 15.

The travel ban, which was approved by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Dec. 30, could be extended to other countries.

Philippine Airlines, the country’s biggest airline and the only airline to offer direct flights from the Philippines to Canada, continues to operate direct flights between Vancouver and Manila, according to their website.

Only four Philippine Airlines flights have been added to the province’s COVID-19 exposure list since March, with the most recent flight being on Oct. 1.

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