MANILA, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' borders will remain close for all incoming travelers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until June 15, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said late Monday night.
Roque said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte approved the extension of restrictions to prevent the spread of the highly infectious variants.
The government earlier suspended the entry of travelers from the seven countries until May 31.
The Philippines initially imposed travel restrictions on India from April 29 due to the record-breaking COVID-19 surge in that country. It widened the ban to include travelers from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka from May 7.
The Philippines also banned international arrivals from Oman and the UAE starting May 15 after overseas Filipino workers that flew in from these two countries tested positive for the coronavirus variants.
The Philippines has reported a total of 1,230,301 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, including 20,966 deaths. Enditem
