General Interest

MANILA - The number of Filipinos abroad who have contracted COVID-19 remained at 13,9606 on Sunday as no new case was recorded, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. The DFA reported no new recovery and no new fatality among those infected. The DFA reported 22 new cases on Saturday, with no new recovery and no new deaths across all regions. The number of those currently being treated abroad for the disease is 4,091 as 8,919 of those infected have recovered, while 950 have died. Those undergoing treatment are broken down as follows by region: 775 in the Asia Pacific, 695 in Europe, 2,521 in the Middle East and Africa, and 100 in the Americas. In the Philippines, COVID-19 has so far sickened 525,618 people. The tally includes 10,749 deaths, 487,551 recoveries, and 27,...

The Philippines received a dismal score in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the analysis of an independent think tank. The Lowy Institute on Wednesday said the Philippines placed 79th out of 98, lagging behind most of its Southeast Asian neighbors. The Philippine government's handling of the global health threat received a score of 30.6 out of 100. New Zealand topped the list, closely followed by Asian nations Vietnam, Taiwan, and Thailand. The pandemic response of New Zealand, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, received an average score of 94.4. Brazil, which is at the bottom of the list, received a score of just 4.3. The United States, meanwhile, is at 94th spot with a score of 17.3. China was not included in the analysis due to lack of data availab...

MANILA, Philippines — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) said new protocols would be implemented on testing and quarantine for arriving passengers starting today. In line with the latest resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), PAL will be requiring passengers arriving in the country to undergo reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR testing on their sixth day of quarantine at a facility or hotel accredited by tourism and health agencies of the government. The requirements will be strictly implemented upon arrival in any international airport in the country, PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said. The government had earlier decided not to extend the travel restrictions for 36 countries with recorded ...

MANILA, Philippines—the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that they will be lifting the travel restrictions on the 36 countries with reported cases of the new Covid-19 variants starting Feb 1, following a directive from the Inter-Agency Task Force Against Emerging and infectious Diseases (IATF). However, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente clarified that other travel restrictions remain in place. “We are still limiting the entry of foreign nationals to the country, following the IATF,” said Morente. “Generally speaking, tourists are still not allowed to enter the country,” he added. Current restrictions only allow the entry of accredited foreign diplomats and personnel of accredited international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations, foreign dignitari...