It has been 2 years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and while some countries remain ‘closed’ to curb infections, others have started opening up.
One country that is planning to welcome travellers again is the Philippines.
On Friday (28 Jan), the nation announced that it’ll soon be allowing vaccinated travellers from over 150 countries, including Singapore, to enter without having to quarantine.
They will begin easing travel restrictions from 1 Feb 2022.
After 2 years of strict border measures, the Philippines will be opening up to vaccinated travellers from 150 countries come next month, reports The Straits Times (ST).
Speaking about the move, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergerie said it no longer made sense to quarantine visiting travellers as the infection rate in the Philippines might be higher than that of other countries.
Dr Vergerie cited studies that have found that most infections in the country were due to community transmission rather than inbound travellers.
According to Rappler, fully vaccinated Filipinos can return from 1 Feb, regardless of their country of embarkment.
Meanwhile, vaccinated foreigners from the 150 listed countries may enter from 10 Feb.
Travellers from both categories will not have to undergo quarantine. They must, however, test PCR-negative within 48 hours of departure.
The Philipines had adopted a ‘closed’ approach since the start of the pandemic, only allowing foreigners with Philippines visas to enter.
Though it had planned on opening up last December, the Omicron variant put things on hold.
The prolonged closure, which led to dips in overseas visitors, has ravaged the country’s tourism sector, reports Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
The situation was exacerbated by Typhoon Rai in Dec 2021, which wrecked facilities at many tourism destinations.
With the reopening, the Filipino authorities hope to see a “rebound” in the tourism industry, with a positive impact on jobs, livelihood, and economic growth.
2 years since the pandemic started, Covid-19 has crippled us, and in particular the tourism industry, for far too long.
It’s great to see more countries opening up to visitors, hopefully allowing the tourism sector to recover.
If you know anyone who’s been dying to visit the Philippines, tag them in the comments so they know about the update.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Eibner Saliba on Unsplash.
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