Manila: Beginning December 13, the Philippines will prohibit travel to and from France in order to combat the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, according to a government official. According to sources, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles stated that the embargo will be in effect until December 15, the same as the 14 other countries already identified by the government, before a possible extension is granted.

"Passengers coming from or who have been to France during the last 14 days prior to arrival in the Philippines, regardless of vaccination status, shall not be granted entrance in any port of the Philippines," he stated. He said that only Filipinos returning home "may be allowed admission, subject to existing testing and quarantine standards for red list nations, territories, or jurisdictions."

South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy were all given travel restrictions by the Philippines last month.

France will be added to the "red list" of high-risk countries and territories with known occurrences of the Omicron strain, according to Nograles. More than 2.83 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the Philippines, with 49,761 deaths.

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