PUBLIC ADVISORY: OFWS FROM HK AND MACAU TO

BE EXEMPTED FROM TRAVEL BAN

Public Advisory: OFWs from HK and Macau

Exempted from Travel Ban
to be
19 February 2020 - The Department of Foreign Affairs informs the public that overseas
Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for Hong Kong and Macau are now exempted from the
travel ban imposed on
(COVID-19) outbreak.
allFilipino nationals following the Coronavirus disease 2019

With the exemption, OFWs returning to Hong Kong and Macau shall be required to
execute a declaration which states that they are aware of the risks involved. Newly-hired
Filipino employeesare likewise exempted from the ban as long as they also sign the form
that can be obtained from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

The travel ban exemption for OFWs working in Hong Kong and Macau is
one of the
decisions adopted at the 6th Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases
(IATF-EID) concluded on 18 February 2020. At the IATF-EID meeting, exemptions from
the travel restrictions were redefined, following a thorough risk assessment of
the current
situation.

Aside from the travel ban exemption for OFWs, the recent resolution also allowed
permanent residents of the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions
(SARs) and Filipinos leaving to study abroad, to travel to Hong Kong and Macau.

The recent resolution also authorized Filipinos and their foreign spouses or children, as
well as holders of diplomatic visas entry into the Philippines, subject to the required 14-
day quarantine.

The travel ban was imposed by the IATF-EID on Filipino nationals and holders of
permanent resident visas traveling to China and its SARs, Hong Kong and Macau, on 02
February 2020 amid the COVID-19 outbreak. There is no travel ban on Filipino nationals
and permanent residents returning from China and its SARs however, returning travelers
will be subjected to a 14-day self-quarantine upon their return. END