Philippines to lift travel ban on passengers from the UAE and nine other countries

Restrictions applying to people travelling from 10 countries will be lifted on September 6

Tourists paddle kayaks inside a lagoon on SIargao Island in the province of Surigao del Norte of the Philippines. Getty Images

White Beach on the island of Boracay, Philippines, is often voted the most popular beach in Asia. Getty Images

The famous Chocolate Hills in the Bohol province of the Philippines. Getty Images

Participants in the Sinulog festival in Cebu city of the Philippines. Getty Images

Houses perched amid rice terraces on a mountainside in Mayoyao of Ifugao province in the northern Philippines. AFP

Crisologo street in Vigan during mid-afternoon. The city is famous for its cobblestone streets and Spanish colonial architecture. Getty Images

Employees of the environment department ride on a raft as they inspect Tinuy-an Falls in Surigao del Sur in southern Philippines. Reuters

Religious art seen inside San Agustin Church complex in the historic walled city of Intramuros in Manila. Getty Images

Coron, the third-largest island on the Calamian Islands in northern Palawan in the Philippines. Getty Images

The Philippines is set to lift a travel ban on inbound passengers from 10 countries, including the UAE, announced Harry Roque, a spokesman for Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, on Saturday.

The travel restrictions, which also affect India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, will end on Monday.

"International travellers coming from the above mentioned countries shall, however, comply with the appropriate entry, testing, and quarantine protocols, depending on the country’s approved 'listing,'" said Roque.

Quarantine rules for travellers arriving in the Philippines

Travellers from the 10 countries will have to spend 14 days in quarantine upon arrival, with the first 10 days in a government-approved hotel or facility and the remainder to be completed at home. They must also undergo a PCR test on the seventh day.

The country's Inter-Agency Task Force has updated its list of “green” countries or territories tagged as low risk for Covid-19, Roque said on Saturday.

Vaccinated travellers from other countries that are on the Philippines green list will be allowed a shorter, seven-day facility-based quarantine upon arrival. Vaccines recogised include AstraZeneca, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

Covid cases in the country

The ban was first introduced in April to help stop the spread of the Delta variant of Covid with the UAE being added on May 15, after passengers entering the Philippines from the country were found to be infected with the Delta strain of coronavirus. It has then been repeatedly extended every couple of weeks.

Covid-19 cases in the Philippines have also surged in recent months because of the Delta variant. On Friday, the country's Department of Health recorded 20,084 new cases, the second biggest single-day tally since the pandemic began.

There have been over two million cases confirmed, with more than 33,000 deaths throughout the pandemic in the South-East Asian country.