Philippines suspends entry of foreigners and non-OFW

The Philippine government has suspended the entry of foreign nationals and returning overseas Filipinos who are non-overseas Filipino workers into the country starting Saturday, March 20 until Monday, April 19.

The National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) also directed concerned agencies to limit the number of inbound international passengers to 1,500 a day.

The said measures were meant to prevent a further rise in coronavirus cases as well as to prevent the entry of coronavirus variants from other countries.

Exempted from the ban are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

“All concerned agencies are hereby directed to limit the number of inbound international passengers to the country to only one thousand five hundred (1,500) a day and to temporarily suspend the entry of foreign nationals and returning overseas Filipinos who are non-OFWs,” the memorandum signed by NTF Chair Delfin Lorenzana.

Under Memorandum Circular No. 5, the following individuals are exempted from the entry ban:

• Holders of 9(c) visas
• Medical repatriation and their escort/s duly endorsed by the DFA-OUMWA or OWWA
• Distressed ROFs duly endorsed by DFA-OUMWA
• Emergency, humanitarian, and other analogous cases approved by the NTF-COVID-19