The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has temporarily banned entry into the Philippines of all individuals regardless of nationality directly coming from China or its special administrative regions (SAR). Exempt are Filipino citizens and holders of permanent resident visas issued by the Philippine government.
The directive follows President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to temporarily ban travellers from China, Hong Kong, and Macau to prevent further contamination in the country of the Novel Coronavirus Acute Respiratory Disease (nCoV ARD), the illness which was first detected in Wuha, Hubei, China.
CAB, in an order dated February 2, has also temporarily banned the entry into the Philippines of any person regardless of nationality who has been to China or its SARs within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines. The order again excludes Filipino citizens and holders of permanent resident visas issued by the Philippine government.
CAB has likewise temporarily banned Filipinos from traveling to China or its SARs.
The aeronautics board has also imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for Filipinos and permanent resident visa holders coming from any place in China and its SARs.
Guidance and orders from other concerned agencies will likewise be strictly observed and complied with. All airlines are directed to inform CAB of any action or modification of its procedure in relation to implementing its directive. CAB also requires the Air Carriers’ Association of the Philippines and the Board of Airline Representatives to disseminate quickly the CAB order to their member airlines.
In response to CAB’s directives, carriers such as Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific, and Air Asia have cancelled their flights to China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Cebu Pacific, in an advisory, said its flights between the Philippines, Hong Kong and Macau are cancelled until February 29, 2020.
All other flights to and from mainland China (Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzen) remain cancelled until March 29, 2020.
AirAsia flights from Manila and Kalibo to mainland China cities (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Shanghai), Hong Kong, and Macau are also cancelled until March 1, 2020.
PAL, in an advisory, noted that “due to the uncertainty as to when the challenges related to the coronavirus situation will be overcome, we are unable to predict whether airlines will be able to restore flights beyond February 29, 2020.”
