CLARK FREEPORT -- Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers in the different international airports and seaports have been ordered to strictly implement the ban on the entry of travelers from China and its Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
This is in line with the government’s effort to prevent the outbreak of the dreaded 2019-novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) outbreak in the country.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said he has ordered the bureau’s port personnel to see to it that the ban is implemented and that all BI port personnel be told to exercise extra care and vigilance in screening arriving passengers.
“We have instructed our men at the ports to actively participate and support efforts to combat the spread of the 2019 nCoV ARD,” Morente said.
He added that the bureau is assisting the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) in filtering arriving passengers through “redundancy checks”.
Morente disclosed that airlines and shipping agents were already advised not to board passengers with travel history within the last 14 days in the concerned areas.
“Apart from this, other countries have already implemented their own measures to curb the transmission of this virus, and some have restricted travel. There are countries that would not allow passengers to board if they are sick,” said Morente.
Following the order of the President, the BI head said any passenger of any nationality who has been to China and their Special Administrative Regions within 14 days before coming to the Philippines shall automatically be denied entry.
The only exception will be Filipino Citizens and Alien Permanent Status holders,” Morente stated.
He specifically identified the permanent residents or those who were issued immigrant visas under the Philippine immigration act; those who availed of the alien legalization program under EO 324; those who availed of the alien social integration program under RA 7919; native-born foreign nationals; aliens who acquired permanent resident status by reason of marriage to Filipinos, and aliens with approved refugee status.
Morente said that they are not singling out specific nationalities, but are rather “restricting travel to and from areas of concern”.
Under the guidelines passengers not exempted from the ban happens to disembark will be sent back to the port of origin.
It further states that Filipinos and aliens exempted from the ban who arrive from China, Hong Kong and Macau including flight crew, shall be turned over to the Quarantine Bureau for their assessment, together with a copy of their arrival cards.
The guidelines further state that Filipinos who are travelling to China, Hong Kong and Macau will not be allowed to leave unless they are part of a government delegation conducting official duties, a member of the World Health Organization, and other agencies involved in fighting or containing the spread of the virus.
The ban includes overseas Filipino workers, as well as permanent residents of other countries.
He shared that seaport personnel would be implementing the same measures, and will only allow passengers coming from China, Hong Kong, and Macau upon clearance from BOQ, after the 14 day period has lapsed.
Morente stressed that while no timelines could be given, the measure is temporary.
“The directive of the President follows the recommendation of the Department of Health, which is in line with advisories from the World Health Organization. We seek the public’s understanding as we implement this ban,” he said.
Morente stated that other countries have been enforcing similar measures.
“The fight against the 2019 nCoV ARD is not just one country’s concern, but is now everyone’s concern,” he added.
Morente also clarified that the Department of Health (DOH) is the agency that conducts contact tracing for suspected cases of the 2019-nCoV ARD.
“We have been proactively supporting them by volunteering information from our database about patients under investigation. We are able to give them the data needed even before it is asked, in less than 24 hours,” he added.
In current airport procedures, passengers fill out two to three forms upon arrival to the country. Foreign nationals submit an immigration arrival card to BI, while passengers submit a customs declaration form for the Bureau of Customs.
A health declaration card is likewise submitted to the Bureau of Quarantine upon disembarkation.