Coronavirus: Philippines to reopen to vaccinated foreign tourists; Australia sees deadliest day
- Citizens of 150 countries that have visa-free entry to the Philippines will be allowed to enter from February 10
- Elsewhere, Singapore’s foreign workforce expands via construction sector and Thailand ponders ‘endemic’ status for Covid-19
The archipelago nation of more than 7,000 islands had planned to reopen in December, but that was aborted over concerns about the Omicron variant.
Citizens of 150 countries that have visa-free entry to the Philippines will be allowed to enter.
“[This] will contribute significantly to job restoration, primarily in tourism-dependent communities, and in the reopening of businesses that have earlier shut down,” Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said in a statement.
Puyat also said the government will remove quarantine requirements for returning Filipinos from February 1, and for foreign tourists from February 10, but they must be vaccinated and test negative for Covid-19.
The Philippines, popular for its white sand beaches and rich marine life, joins other Southeast Asian countries in reopening to tourists to boost jobs and help their economies recover.