With the decision of the government to temporarily ban entry to travellers from 14 countries due to COVID-19, the Philippine Embassy in Qatar has posted an advisory informing the Filipino community to be aware of the said suspension since the Philippines is included.
Also Read: Do’ and Dont’s, How to Protect Yourself from the New Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Aside from the Philippines, ALL travellers coming from these countries are affected in this travel ban – Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, South Korea, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Thailand.
This decision was made to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has surpasses 100,000 confirmed cases globally.
So to all Pinoys who have inbound flights to Qatar, please be informed of this advisory so you can adjust your travel plans accordingly.
Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines – DOHA
Embassy Advisory No. ALT-10-2020
8 March 2020
SUBJECT: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-2019)
The Filipino community in the State of Qatar is informed that Qatar announced at 23:00H tonight (Doha time) that it is imposing temporary entry restrictions on Doha-bound passengers who traveled to the following countries in the last 14-days beginning 9 March 2020.
- Bangladesh
- China
- Egypt
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Korea (South)
- Lebanon
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- Thailand
Enclosed is a copy of the announcement uploaded on the website of the Government Communications Office at www.gco.gov.qa.
The Embassy came to know of this information through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar.
For information and guidance. Thank you.
ALAN L. TIMBAYAN
Ambassador
Below is the statement from the Government Communications Office:
Currently, there are 15 cases of the COVID-19 new coronavirus in the state of Qatar. The number of cases are on the low end compared to other countries in the Gulf region. The government of Qatar are continuing their efforts to keep the virus from spreading.
As for the dates when this ban will be lifted, please stay tuned as we wait for announcements from the government.