The Office of the President, through the Office of the Executive Secretary, has included the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Hungary as among the countries / jurisdictions subject to travel restrictions.
Foreign passengers coming from or who have been to the UAE and Hungary within fourteen (14) days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines shall be prohibited from entering the country effective January 17, 2021, 12:01 AM, Manila time until January 31, 2021.
Effective immediately, foreign passengers coming from, or who have been to these two countries within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines, arriving before January 17, 2021, 12:01AM, Manila time, shall be allowed to enter the Philippines. However, they shall be required to undergo an absolute facility-based 14-day quarantine period, even if they obtain a negative RT-PCR test result.
Also, effective immediately, Filipino citizens coming from, or who have been to these two countries, within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines, including those arriving after January 17, 2021, 12:01AM, Manila time, shall be allowed to enter the Philippines. However, they shall be required to undergo an absolute facility-based 14-day quarantine period, even if they obtain a negative RT-PCR test result.
Filipino and foreign passengers merely transiting through these two countries shall be covered by the rules as provided in the Memorandum from the Executive Secretary dated December 31, 2020.
Meanwhile, the rules on incoming unaccompanied minor Filipino passengers as provided in the Memorandum from the Executive Secretary dated January 5, 2021, have been amended.
All unaccompanied minor Filipino citizens coming from countries/jurisdictions where travel restrictions are in place on account of the new variants of COVID-19, shall not be allowed boarding by the airlines until January 31, 2021, except minors returning through the repatriation program of the national government. These repatriated minors shall be turned over to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration house parent who, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), shall ensure the minors’ safety and their observance of quarantine protocols.
On the other hand, all unaccompanied minor Filipino citizens who land on Philippine airports, notwithstanding the prohibition against boarding, shall not be sent back to their port of departure. However, they shall be turned over to an authorized DSWD officer who can ensure the minors’ safety and their observance to quarantine protocols.
