The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has extended to Taiwan the temporary travel ban on travellers from China and its special administrative regions (SAR) in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s order. The temporary travel prohibition intends to prevent further contamination of the Philippines with the Novel Coronavirus Acute Respiratory Disease (2019-nCoV ARD), the illness which was first detected in Wuhan, Hubei, China.
The flight cancellation by major Philippine airlines starts on Feb 11.
CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla, in a clarification dated February 10, said Duterte’s travel ban “as contained in the Presidential directive of 2 February 2020, includes Taiwan under the One China Policy.”
READ: CAB stops entry of non-Filipinos from China, territories
With this, all airlines are directed “to adopt proper measures and put in place appropriate systems to fully implement the temporary travel ban restricting the entry into the Philippines of the following persons coming from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.”
The temporary ban covers the entry into the Philippines of any person regardless of nationality, except Filipino citizens and holders of Philippine government-issued permanent resident visas who are directly coming from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
It also covers any person regardless of nationality, except Filipino citizens and holders of permanent resident visas issued by the Philippine government, who, within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines, has been to China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
Filipinos are also temporarily banned from traveling to China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
In compliance with the directive, airlines have announced that they have cancelled their flights to and from Taiwan.
Cebu Pacific, AirAsia Philippines and Philippine Airlines (PAL), in separate advisories, said the flight cancellation starts on February 11 until further notice.
PAL has also extended until March 28, 2020 the cancellation of flights between Manila and the following points in Greater China: Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, Quanzhou (Jinjiang) and Macau.
The World Health Organization has declared the 2019-nCoV ARD outbreak as a health emergency of international concern. As of February 11, the virus has caused more than 1,000 deaths and infected thousands in several countries worldwide.
Image by Michael Gaida from Pixabay
