Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque (OPS / MANILA BULLETIN)
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the President still wanted to ensure Filipinos can still go home even after the expansion of travel restrictions has been “highly recommended” to him.
Once Duterte decides, an executive order or administrative order on the matter is expected to released soon, Roque added.
The proposed travel restrictions were discussed in the President’s recent meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF).
A travel ban on flights from the United Kingdom where the second COVID strain emerged has been initially imposed by the government until mid-January.
Metro Manila, home to the Entertainment City zone of large-scale, private-sector casino resorts, will remain under so-called general community quarantine (GCQ) until January 31 next year, said on Monday the country’s leader, President Rodrigo Duterte (pictured), as cited by official media outlet the Philippine News Agency.
Mr Duterte also stated that the provinces of Batangas, Isabela, Lanao del Sur and Davao del Norte, and the cities of Santiago, Iloilo, Tacloban, Iligan and Davao would also stay under general community quarantine for the same period.
The rest of the country would remain in modified general community quarantine, he added. That is considered the least restrictive local quarantine measure in relation to efforts to control Covid-19.
(FILE PHOTO)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 29) The chief of the Food and Drug Administration cleared President Rodrigo Duterte of any wrongdoing on the controversial vaccination of members of the Presidential Security Group and other personnel.
When asked in a briefing if the President should be held liable over what happened, FDA Director General Eric Domingo said, Palagay ko hindi naman siguro si Presidente (ang)
nagturok or nagbigay ng bakuna. Ang bawal po kasi talaga yung pag-import, pag-distribute at pag-administer ng bakuna.
[Translation: I don t think the President himself administered or provided the vaccines. What is prohibited is the importation, distribution and administration of the vaccine.]
Expanded travel ban just a recommendation, Duque clarifies By DONA MAGSINO, GMA News
Published December 29, 2020 2:34pm Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday clarified that his announcement regarding the expanded travel ban to 20 countries with recorded cases of a new coronavirus variant was recommendatory and not yet final. It s a recommendation. Hintayin na lang natin yung sa OP [Office of the President] issuance today, Duque told GMA News Online in a phone interview. Duque, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello, and the Department of Transportation earlier said the travel ban will be expanded to 20 countries from December 30, 2020 to January 15, 2021 to prevent the possible spread of the new coronavirus variant in the Philippines.