Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 17) — The pandemic task force is not keen on adding more countries and territories to the travel ban list despite the threat of the Delta COVID-19 variant, a Health official said Saturday, even as border controls will be tightened.
"Tayo ay makikipagusap sa IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) pero ang huling usapan ay gawing very strict ang border control para hindi ma-isolate ang ating bansa from the rest of the world," Health Spokesperson and Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual briefing.
[Translation: We're going to discuss this with the IATF, but the last time we talked they said very strict border control will be implemented so as not to isolate our country from the rest of the world.]
Just this week, the government added Indonesia to the travel ban list.
The list include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates and Oman. The ban is until end-July.
On Friday, the Department of Health said it logged 16 new cases of the Delta variant, including 11 local cases.
Health authorities said there is no local transmission as yet.
Vergeire said the government is conducting extensive contact tracing among people who contracted the more transmissible variant.
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