MANILA -- The Philippines may impose testing requirements on travelers from China as long as it is based on science and there is a need to do so, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Thursday, as other countries carry out new testing rules on travelers originating from China.

“Yes, well we --- as long as it’s based on science and we feel that there’s a need, we will do it. But again, it depends on what the true risk is to us,” the President said when asked if there will be additional testing restrictions on travelers from China.

“Kung naman it’s something that is manageable, then I’m sure we can find a way to --- not completely close our borders to China, but to find a way to have a procedure so that those coming from China who may have been exposed or who may have been infected [with the coronavirus] will be tested and ‘yun lang naman ang ating inaalala,” the President pointed out.

American federal health officials announced Wednesday that the United States will require all travelers from China to show a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding flights for the U.S., citing concerns about a surge of coronavirus infections in China and its alleged lack of transparency amid the recent outbreak.

All travelers departing from China, Hong Kong and Macau who are over two years old, including American citizens, are covered by the new rules regardless of vaccination status.

President Marcos also said he is more inclined not to extend the state of calamity on COVID-19, pointing out that the Philippines is no longer in a state of calamity.

“I’m still very, very hesitant to continue the state of calamity, to extend it because again, we are not in a state of calamity anymore, technically speaking,” Marcos said.

“And that is the wrong mindset to be approaching the new year with. So we’re still trying to find ways to continue to provide the benefits to our medical health workers, which is the main issue, without the state of calamity," the chief executive said. (PND)