THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday, March 7, advised Filipinos to postpone their pilgrimage tour to the Holy Land as the threat of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues to spread worldwide.
In an advisory, DFA urged Filipinos to postpone their planned trips until further notice.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advises all Filipinos planning to undertake pilgrimages to the Holy Land to postpone their trips until further notice,” the DFA said.
According to the advisory, the Palestinian Authority has decided to temporarily ban the entry of all tourists into the West Bank, including Bethlehem and Jericho.
The Israeli government also decided to restrict all travels to Bethlehem from Israel.
“Prospective travelers are therefore advised to coordinate with their tour operators to avoid any inconvenience,” the department said.
Worldwide, there are already 101,000 reported cases of people who have been infected by Covid-19, while reported deaths already stood 3,400.
The Philippines has already recorded six confirmed cases of the virus as of Saturday. (SunStar Philippines)