03/01/2021
PUBLIC ADVISORY
03 JANUARY 2021
ENTRY RESTRICTIONS EXPANDED FOR 21 COUNTRIES WITH REPORTED NEW VARIANT OF SARS-CoV-2
Following the memorandum from the Office of the Executive Secretary dated 31 December 2021, the United States of America (USA) is now added to the list of 21 countries with imposed entry restrictions due to reported cases of the SARS-CoV-2 new variant. Foreign passengers coming from the US, or those who have been to the USA within 14 days before travelling to the Philippines, shall be prohibited from entering the country through Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) starting 00:01 of January 3, 2021 until January 15, 2021.
Filipino citizens coming from the US or who have been to the US within 14 days from their scheduled arrival in the Philippines shall be permitted entry during the temporary restricted period but shall be required to undergo an absolute 14-day facility-based quarantine regardless of negative RT-PCR test result upon arrival.
All passengers, whether Filipinos or foreigners, transiting only through any of the 21 countries with imposed temporary entry restrictions may be permitted entry and need not complete the 14-day facility-based quarantine, provided they stayed in the airport the whole time and were not given clearance for entry into any of the covered countries by its immigration authorities.
Countries with imposed temporary entry restrictions until January 15, 2021:
1. Australia
2. Canada
3. Denmark
4. France
5. Germany
6. Hong Kong, SAR
7. Iceland
8. Ireland
9. Israel
10. Italy
11. Japan
12. Lebanon
13. Singapore
14. South Africa
15. South Korea
16. Spain
17. Sweden
18. Switzerland
19. The Netherlands
20. United Kingdom
21. United States of America
All passengers are advised to follow health and safety protocols when travelling through MCIA in compliance with the existing regulations mandated by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).