Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 15) — The Department of Health is looking into the further expansion of the travel ban to include other Southeast Asian countries badly hit by the more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday said the DOH Epidemiology Bureau is conducting a two-week evaluation of the COVID-19 situation in Malaysia and Thailand, where more and more cases of the feared variant are being recorded.
“Sa ngayon tinitignan ang Malaysia, tinitignan din natin ang Thailand kung saan parang hindi na mapigilan ang pag-angat ng Delta variant cases, ” he said during a media briefing. “May surveillance system na sa bureau… para mabigyan tayo ng signal kung napapanahon na magkaroon ng expanded travel ban sa additional countries.”
[Translation: Right now, we are looking at Malaysia and Thailand where Delta cases seem uncontrollable. Our bureau has a surveillance system. They will get a signal if it’s time to expand the travel ban.]
The findings of the DOH bureau will be forwarded to the Inter-Agency Task Force, which will make the final recommendations to President Rodrigo Duterte.
The Philippines on Wednesday included Indonesia in the travel ban list, which previously only imposed entry restrictions on travelers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
Indonesia on Thursday overtook India as Asia’s new COVID-19 epicenter after it recorded 54,517 new cases — a single-day national record. Local authorities are pointing to the more infectious Delta variant as the culprit for the rising infections and deaths in the world’s fourth-most populous country.
The health chief said the country’s border control measures and strict quarantine protocols for incoming travelers have been effective in preventing the spread of the variant in the community.
The Philippines has so far recorded 19 Delta variant cases on incoming travelers, who were immediately isolated and quarantined upon arrival.
Duque also assured the country is prepared should the Delta variant enter the country’s shores since the healthcare system has been beefed up.
