MANILA: A Covid-related restriction on travel from Pakistan, India and eight other countries to the Philippines will be lifted on Monday.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to lift the ban with the condition that the air travellers will spend two weeks in quarantine upon arrival, according to the presidential spokesperson.

The ban, introduced in April before being expanded to include more countries in July to prevent the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of conronavirus, will be lifted on Monday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque explained in a statement issued here on Saturday.

Now travellers from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia can fly to the Philippines, the statement added.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2021