Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines announced that all flights from Manila to Hong Kong scheduled for April 20 to 30 are cancelled due to the temporary suspension of flights and passenger arrival limitation in Manila.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 19) — Hong Kong is imposing a temporary travel ban on flights from the Philippines and two other countries due to the presence of a specific COVID-19 strain.
The country’s flag carrier added flights from Hong Kong to Manila on April 20, 23, and 27 will still operate as scheduled.
The Hong Kong government issued on Sunday the travel advisory that classified the Philippines, India, and Pakistan as “extremely high-risk” areas after the entry of several travelers found with the N501Y mutant strain. The two-week ban will start on Tuesday.
PAL said affected passengers must receive email notifications on their flight cancellation. They have the option to convert until June 30 their ticket to a travel voucher and may avail unlimited rebooking until Dec. 31. Tickets can be refunded without penalties, the airline said.
Passengers who have traveled to these three countries in the last 21 days or even those who stayed for more than two hours on the day of boarding will be barred from entering the China special administrative region, the advisory said.
“India, Pakistan, and the Philippines all had seven-day cumulative number of relevant cases that reached the relevant criteria in the past 14 days, and the Government will therefore invoke the place-specific flight suspension mechanism for these three places,” the Hong Kong government said.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration estimates that around 1,300 overseas Filipino workers will be affected by the ban.
