China orders air passengers from Philippines to prove they don’t have Covid-19

Name: Philippine President Duterte says he will take Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine in public
Uploaded: 2020-08-13T02:00:18.000Z
Duration: 2 min 35 s
Description: Philippine President Duterte says he will take Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine in public

The directive affects a number of other countries, from Russia, Iran and Pakistan to Southeast Asian neighbours Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia

But it has raised suspicions the Philippines made the list because of Pogo employees, as most ordinary Filipinos are still barred from entering China

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Passengers queue up for temperature checks before entering Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport on August 3. Photo: EPA

Raissa Robles

Published: 10:00am, 13 Aug 2020Updated: 9:59pm, 13 Aug 2020

All air passengers travelling to China from the Philippines, including Chinese nationals, will be required from next Thursday to submit proof they do not have Covid-19 before boarding their flight, according to the Chinese embassy in Manila.

The move was announced on the embassy’s Facebook page on Tuesday amid concerns that a number of Chinese employees of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) – which are locally based but cater to gamblers in China – have tested positive for the novel coronavirus after returning to their home country.

It puts the Philippines in the company of countries such as Russia, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Travellers from those countries must already produce a so-called Covid-19 negative certificate, obtained within five days of departure, to board any China-bound flight.

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Philippine President Duterte says he will take Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine in public

Other countries alongside the Philippines that will be subject to the stipulation from August 20 include Malaysia, Cambodia and Mauritania.

In a statement on its website, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the certificates were required “to ensure the health and safety of international travel and reduce the risk of cross-border spread”, adding that the requirement also applies to passengers “ultimately bound for China” who transfer via the named countries.

Despite the wide-ranging nature of the directive, which also applies to a number of other countries and “will be adjusted as necessary” according to the ministry, there are suspicions the Philippines made the list because of Pogo employees.

In a virtual round table on July 27 attended by Huang Xilian, the Chinese ambassador to Manila, prominent ethnic Chinese activist Teresita Ang-See asked about the “many returnees from Manila to China” who had “tested positive upon arrival”.

She specifically wanted to know about “Pogo workers” and whether China could “contact trace where they come from” so local governments in the Philippines could take action – referring to rumours about four Chinese nationals living in a building in Makati who allegedly “all tested positive” upon their return to Fujian province.

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