Hontiveros wants China included in travel ban over new coronavirus variant
MANILA, Philippines — Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros called Tuesday on the government to include China in the Philippines’ travel ban on countries with confirmed cases of the new coronavirus variant which was first identified in the United Kingdom and is feared to be more infectious than the original variant.
She said that the Department of Health and Department of Foreign Affairs should recommend a ban on travelers coming from China, after health officials there confirmed its first case of the new variant — a 23-year-old woman from Shanghai who arrived from Britain on December 14.
“It has been confirmed that there is a new COVID-19 variant in China. Why is it still not included in the travel ban?” Hontiveros quizzed in Filipino.
The country has so far banned travelers from 21 territories with cases of the new coronavirus [variant,] including the UK, the United States and semi-autonomous Chinese city Hong Kong. The travel ban has yet to be expanded to include other parts of China.
“Let’s stop with the anomalies. Why is China exempted? Are we again scared of hurting its feelings? Let’s put the Philippines first,” Hontiveros said.
Last year, the government was initially reluctant with imposing a ban on travelers from mainland China despite mounting calls for such.
When it enacted measures to control the entry of travelers from China, it did so slowly, taking around two weeks before a full travel ban on mainland China and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau was imposed.
READ: Philippines early to adopt travel ban, lockdown but not first to do so
“Let’s learn our lesson. We already know that a temporary travel ban can buy us time to prepare for any potential outbreaks of the new variant,” Hontiveros said.
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