Reuters file photo
The Philippines’ top health official said there’s no need yet to shut the country’s borders or impose tighter Covid restrictions on inbound Chinese travelers, bucking moves by other nations like the US to require tests for visitors from China amid a renewed surge in infections there.
"The direction of this administration is that as much as possible, restrictions should be minimal where we don’t compromise health but we also favor the opening up of the economy,” Maria Rosario Vergeire, the officer in charge at the Department of Health said at a briefing Thursday. The agency is confident that existing health protocols are sufficient, she added.
Vergeire said the Southeast Asian nation is in a "much better position currently” with most of the population fully vaccinated and have learned to adopt good health practices.
Her comments were in contrast to those of Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista who’s in favor of testing Chinese visitors.
The US and Italy joined an increasing number of nations requiring Covid tests for travelers from China. In Italy, health officials said they would test arrivals from China with almost half of passengers on two flights from China to Milan found to have the virus.
China is seeing outbreaks across the country, with almost 37 million people possibly having been infected on a single day last week. At the same time, Chinese authorities have announced a border reopening on Jan. 8.
