The Philippines has lifted a ban on the deployment of workers to Saudi Arabia, which it imposed after receiving reports that workers were being asked to shoulder Covid-19 test and quarantine costs in the oil-rich kingdom, AP reports.

Philippine Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that after Saudi Arabia formally notified his country that recruitment agencies and Saudi employers would bear the costs of tests and 10 days of quarantine for Filipinos, he decided to lift the ban.

"I apologise for the inconvenience and momentary anguish that it may have caused our dear overseas Filipino workers," Bello said, but added "our Saudi-bound workers will no longer be disadvantaged".