The Philippines is reopening its borders next month, allowing fully vaccinated travellers from at least 150 countries, including Singapore, to enter without having to quarantine at a hotel or a government facility.
This comes as the wave of infections fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19 recedes in the country, officials said. “It doesn’t make sense any more (to require quarantine for inbound travellers),” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told reporters yesterday.
She said Omicron was already so widespread that the infection rate in the Philippines “may even be higher than in countries from where we are restricting travel”.
Dr Vergeire said studies by epidemiologists showed most infections were caused by community transmissions rather than spread by Filipinos returning from overseas and other inbound travellers.
This story is from the January 29, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 29, 2022 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A German initiative to keep workers employed by retraining them
Germany - When Mr Emrullah Karaca began working at a factory in Gifhorn, Germany, where the auto parts supplier Continental builds components for hydraulic brakes, he was looking for a temporary job after finishing high school.
Market watches data flows as it awaits a Fed pivot
Ironic as it may seem, weak economic data has become music to the market
Rex diversifies business but banks on oil, gas for short-term value
S’pore-listed company bets on drones, medical tech for future growth as fossil fuels phase out
More alumni of local unis return to school, but barriers remain
Costs, work and family commitments among constraints faced: NUS survey
Reclamation works in Woodlands not likely to adversely impact Mandai habitats
Resulting changes in water flow could be ecologically beneficial in long run: JTC, ICA
Sellers can list their flats on HDB portal from May 13
Service seeks to provide buyers and sellers access to secure transactions
Fierce fighting in Kharkiv region in Ukraine as Russia touts gains
Kyiv says its forces repulsing attacks, battling for control of settlements
Big, smoggy Bangkok gets a badly needed breath of fresh air
Expansion of Benjakitti Park has created an oasis for city dwellers and attracted wildlife
Tutor in Malaysia finds success using Tamil to teach Mandarin
Multilinguist goes beyond classroom to reach people on TikTok, Instagram
Young Taiwanese find it hard to buy a home as wealth gap widens
Workers want new govt to prioritise tackling stagnant wages, soaring housing prices: Poll