Philippines welcomes back foreign travelers after 2 years

By JIM GOMEZ and JOEAL CALUPITAN
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines has lifted a nearly two-year ban on foreign travelers in a lifesaving boost for its tourism and related industries as an omicron-fueled surge eases. Fully vaccinated travelers who tested negative for the virus will also no longer be required to quarantine upon arrival. The government also ended a risk classification system that banned travelers from the worst-hit countries. The Philippines imposed one of the world’s longest lockdowns and strictest police-enforced quarantine restrictions to quell a pandemic that caused its worst economic recession since the 1940s and pushed unemployment and hunger to record levels. More than a million Filipinos lost their jobs in tourism businesses and destinations in the first year of the pandemic alone.