NTF clarifies: Travel ban on Hong Kong ‘not final’

By Prince Golez

The National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 on Sunday clarified that the temporary ban on passenger flights from Hong Kong due to discovery of the newly identified Omicron Covid-19 variant first detected in South Africa was “not yet final.”

The NTF made the comment after its spokesperson, retired Gen. Restituto Padilla, in an interview with DZMM’s Teleradyo, said the government has banned travel from Hong Kong as he cited the two cases of the variant in the territory.

“We await the formal announcement from the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) following a final recommendation from the Technical Working Group on Covid-19 Variants and other agencies,” its statement read.

“The Government through favorable recommendations of the Department of Health (DOH) will work to ensure timely adoption of preemptive measures to prevent or delay the entry of new variants which have the potential for undermining public health,” it furthered.

The Task Force said that flights to and from Hong Kong will be allowed until a formal announcement from the IATF is made.

“We apologise for any inconvenience an earlier pronouncement may have caused,” the NTF added.

Earlier, the IATF imposed a temporary suspension of inbound international flights from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique because of Omicron.

The post NTF clarifies: Travel ban on Hong Kong ‘not final’ first appeared on .

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)