MANILA -- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that they will be implementing the extended travel restriction from passengers coming from 10 countries.

In an advisory, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente stated that, in compliance with a resolution from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), the travel restrictions set for passengers coming from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia have been extended beginning Monday, August 16 until August 31.

In the said restriction, aliens coming from the 10 countries, as well as those who have been there 14 days prior to their arrival in the Philippines, shall temporarily be barred entry.

“We have circulated the resolution to the airlines and other stakeholders,” said Morente. “Airlines have been instructed not to board those coming from the said countries,” he added.

BI Port Operations Division Chief Atty. Carlos Capulong clarified that arriving Filipinos, under repatriation programs, may be allowed entry but shall be referred to the airport’s One Stop Shop to undergo an absolute 14-day facility based quarantine, apart from securing a negative RT-PCR result.

On the other hand, passengers who transited or had a mere layover at the 10 countries, are not covered by the extended ban.  (BI)