The Philippine authorities have temporarily stopped issuing visas to all foreign nationals amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2020) The Philippine authorities have temporarily stopped issuing visas to all foreign nationals amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on Thursday.
"Starting today, all our Embassies and Consulates will temporarily suspend visa issuance to all foreign nationals as well as the visa-free entry privileges of all foreign nationals. Moreover, all previously issued Philippine visas to foreign nationals are deemed canceled. Visas already issued to foreign spouses and children of Filipino nationals remain valid," Locsin said on Twitter.
According to him, the next step could be a complete ban on the entry of all foreign citizens.
To date, the Philippine health authorities have confirmed 217 COVID-19 cases and 17 fatalities.
The latest toll globally is over 218,000 cumulative cases, including over 8,800 fatalities and more than 84,000 people who have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The epicenter of the pandemic has now shifted from China, where the initial outbreak occurred in late 2019, to Europe, where the total is nearing 75,000.
