The Department of Tourism (DOT) has immediately advised its foreign offices in China to relay to all stakeholders involved in bringing markets to the Philippines on the latest directive by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to temporarily ban “the entry of any person, regardless of nationality, except Filipino citizens and holders of Permanent Resident Visa issued by the Philippine Government, directly coming from China and its Special Administrative Regions”, Hong Kong and Macau, in order to contain the spread of the novel corona virus (NCov).
The directive also includes the following travel guidelines:
• Temporarily banning the entry of any person, regardless of nationality, except Filipino citizens and holders of Permanent Resident Visa issued by the Philippine Government, who within fourteen (14) days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines, has been to China and its Special Administrative Regions;
• A mandatory fourteen (14) day quarantine for Filipinos and Permanent Resident Visa holders coming from any place in China and its Special Administrative Regions;
• Temporary ban on Filipinos from travel to China and its Special Administrative Regions
The DOT is coordinating with the travel trade sector in the Philippines to ensure the full implementation of this directive. As support to calls for precautionary measures, the Department has earlier released Guidelines in Handling Guests in Tourism Enterprises in the Advent of nCOV Global Health Emergency.
The DOT is in close coordination with all concerned government agencies and assures that precautionary steps are being taken to ensure the safety of Filipinos and travelers from other countries who are visiting the Philippines.
“The safety and protection of our citizens thriving in our tourist spots, the employees of the tourism sector, and domestic and foreign tourists alike remain the Department of Tourism’s priority. We call on everyone in the tourism industry to follow these directives until the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Philippine government deems it safe to resume travel to these parts.”, stated Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat.
