The government’s pandemic task force has updated its list of countries, which will be subject to travel restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. From Sept. 19 to Sept. 30, travelers from Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Serbia and Slovenia will be barred from entering the Philippines. The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has classified these countries as “red,” or considered at high risk for COVID-19. The IATF also approved a new list of “green” countries, which are those at low risk for COVID-19. Fully vaccinated travelers from green countries are only required to undergo a seven-day quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines. They are also required to undergo testing on the fifth day. —Leila B. Salaverria
PH adds 4 more countries to ‘red’ list
HIGH ALERT Passengers arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City are monitored for fever using a thermal scanner on Wednesday. The country is on high alert following the outbreak of a newstrain of coronavirus that has infected hundreds of people and killed at least nine in China. —RICHARD A. REYES