Philippines to ban travelers from India over highly contagious variant

April 28, 2021 - 9:22 AM
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A worker wearing personal protective equipment sprays disinfectant at the check-in counters of Cebu Pacific airline to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 9, 2020. (Reuters/Eloisa Lopez)

MANILA — The Philippines will ban travelers coming from India to prevent the spread of a new variant blamed for a huge surge in cases in the South Asian nation, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Travelers coming from India or those with travel history to that country within the last 14 days before arrival will be banned from entering the Philippines from April 29 to May 14, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.

Nearby Cambodia also announced a similar ban, effective Thursday, to also cover people who have been to India as far back as three weeks. Both Cambodia and the Philippines have seen big jumps in case numbers in recent weeks. —Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema; Additional reporting by Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh; Editing by Martin Petty