Reuters
The Philippines announced Wednesday that it would join other Asian nations in temporarily banning foreign travelers arriving from the United Kingdom after a new strain of the coronavirus disease, believed to be more infectious, was detected in the British Isles.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia have also announced temporary bans on travelers coming from Britain as a measure to contain the further spread of COVID-19 within their borders.
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte agreed to impose a ban on visitors and commercial flights from the U.K., officials said. The ban will take effect on Christmas Eve and last at least through New Year’s Eve, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said, citing a resolution approved by an inter-agency task force for managing emergent infectious diseases.
Sen. Joel Villanueva and Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto
Senator Joel Villanueva in a text message said the Philippines’ neighbors in the region “are managing to secure the best vaccines under negotiated terms.”
“Naniniwala pa rin ako sa kakayahan nating mga Pinoy (I still believe in the capability of Filipinos). Huwag sana nating maliitin ang sarili natin (We should not belittle ourselves),” he added.
Villanueva said the country should also back global calls for equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines. “We have to support this movement,” he appealed.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto was also quoted as saying that the Philippines will be able to immediately procure COVID-19 vaccines.
By LLANESCA T. PANTI, GMA News
Published December 23, 2020 12:41pm Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday expressed confidence the Senate probe on his alleged failure to secure anti-COVID vaccines from Pfizer for January 2021 delivery will clear him, saying records will prove he wasn’t at fault. Duque was referring to the looming Senate Committee of the Whole’s investigation into his supposed delayed action on an agreement with Pfizer that cost the Philippines the chance to secure 10 million doses of Pfizer vaccine. Duque argued that he judiciously and quickly acted on the required confidentiality disclosure agreement (CDA) with Pfizer an agreement which did not include provisions on vaccine supply.
Duque assures no VIP treatment for gov t officials in COVID-19 vaccination inquirer.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inquirer.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SunStar
(File) December 23, 2020 TWO days after saying a ban on inbound travel from the United Kingdom wasn t necessary, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Wednesday, December 23, 2020, defended the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to suspend all flights from UK until the end of the month.
In a virtual media forum, Duque said the travel restriction is necessary as a precautionary measure against the newly detected variant of Sars-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). We don t know or are unsure with regards to this new strain of Covid-19 from the UK so it s better if we are careful, said Duque.