For the information of the Filipino Community in Germany and the general public, in line with the announcement today by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte of the Enhanced Community Quarantine for the Entire Luzon area, following are the latest travel-related guidelines for the Philippines:

• Outbound passengers intending to depart the Philippines from any of the international airports in Luzon shall be allowed to travel for a period of seventy-two (72) hours from effectivity of the Enhanced community quarantine;

• Inbound international passengers, in transit upon effectivity of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, shall be allowed entry, subject to applicable quarantine procedures if coming from countries with existing travel restrictions imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

• All inbound Filipino citizens including their foreign spouse and children, if any, holders of Permanent Resident Visa, and holders of 9(e) Diplomat Visas issued by the Philippine Government shall be allowed entry, subject to applicable quarantine procedures if coming from countries with existing travel restrictions imposed by the IATF.

• The movement of cargoes within, to and from the entire Luzon shall be unhampered. For this purpose, guidelines for the accompanying crew or personnel of transiting cargoes shall be formulated by the Department of Transportation; and

• Land, air and sea travel of uniformed personnel for official business, especially those transporting medical supplies, laboratory specimens related to the COVID-19, and other humanitarian assistance, shall be allowed.

Further, upon arrival at the ports of entry, triage will be conducted for travelers who are coming from countries with high risk of COVID-19 importation to the Philippines:

• Based on the Philippines’ Department of Health guidelines, these countries include South Korea, Singapore, Australia, China, Malaysia, Japan, Spain, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and the United States of America. Please refer to the triage procedure in the image below. Please note this list is subject to change.

• The Philippine Bureau of Immigration also implemented expanded travel restrictions for travelers coming from, or who have transited through Iran and Italy in the last fourteen days. They shall be required to present a medical certificate by competent medical authorities within the last 48 hours prior to arrival in country certifying that they are COVID-2019 free. Exempted from these restrictions (medical certificate requirement) are Filipino citizens including their foreign spouse and children, holders of permanent resident visas, and members of the diplomatic corps.

For information. Thank you.

Berlin, 16 March 2020

PDF: Advisory Latest Travel Restriction in Luzon 16March2020
DOH Triage: Algorithm For Triage of Patients with Possible COVID-19 Infection in Ports of Entry

The Philippine Embassy in Germany provides the general public with the following Advisory from the Department of Tourism on COVID19-related Travel Restrictions in the Philippines for information and guidance. Thank you.

“The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) is committed to ensuring the health and safety of its travelers. Please be guided by the major updates regarding travel-related activities in the Philippines.

Under the stringent Social Distancing Measures being imposed in the National Capital Region (NCR) for 30 days starting 00:00 AM of 15 March 2020 until 00:00 AM of 14 April 2020, the following will apply:

• All land, domestic air and domestic sea travel to and from the NCR are restricted.

• All departing passengers shall be allowed transit through the NCR, provided that proof of confirmed international travel itinerary, scheduled within twelve (12) hours from entry, is presented at checkpoints. However, outbound travel to countries where travel restrictions are in place remains prohibited.

• All travel restrictions previously issued shall remain in effect. Current travel restrictions imposed are on foreign travel to and from China, including its Special Administrative Regions (SARs) Hong Kong and Macau, and the North Gyeongsang Province of South Korea including Daegu and Cheongdo.

• Travelers from Iran and Italy (except Filipino citizens, including their foreign spouse and children, if any, and holders of Permanent Resident Visas or 9(e) Diplomatic Visas issued by the Philippine Government) shall be required to present a medical certificate issued by competent medical authorities within forty-eight (48) hours immediately preceding departure signifying that they have tested negative for COVID-19.

• The various local government units (LGUs) of destinations in the Philippines are required to abide by the directives of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the imposition of general community quarantine guidelines in their respective jurisdictions.

As such, some destinations may already restrict tourists from entering in order to contain and prevent further spread of the virus.

• Mass gatherings such as movie screenings, concerts, sporting events and other entertainment activities, community assemblies, and non-essential work-related gatherings shall be prohibited

Please visit the official Philippines travel advisory website for more updates.

https://philippines.travel/safeph-share.html “

Berlin, 15 March 2020

PDF: Announcement Advisory from DOT 15March2020

Filipino workers who are currently in the Philippines or outside of Germany who are either returning to their workplaces or scheduled to commence employment in Germany and are unable to return to/arrive in Germany due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions, are respectfully advised to contact the following focal agencies/entities as applicable:

1. For nurses hired under the Triple Win Program (TWP), contact the following nos.:

TWP PH : +63 2 8651 5183 (Mon. to Fri., 8:00 am to 5:00 pm)
TWP Germany : +49 6196793599
POEA GPB : +63 8722 1177 (Mon. to Thurs., 7:00 am to 7:00 pm)

2. For nurses hired under the Private Employment track, including other categories of workers (e.g. IT, engineering, other professions/skills) hired directly or through an agency, contact your respective Philippine-based agencies or employers in Germany.

3. For vacationing workers / Balik Manggagawa – contact your employer.

Appropriate representations will be undertaken related to unavoidable delays in the return to/arrival in Germany of Filipino workers.

Other COVID-19 related ADVISORIES may be accessed via our website, www.philippine-embassy.de and Facebook page (@PHinGermany) for information and updates.

Thank you.

Berlin, 14 March 2020

PDF :Announcement Advisory for Workers 14March2020

For safety and public health concerns in connection with the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Philippine Embassy in Berlin will shorten its opening hours to the public.

Effective Monday, 16 March 2020, the Embassy will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. only from Mondays to Fridays. All public services will continue to be delivered during these hours.

The adjusted schedule will allow both the Embassy’s clients and personnel to avoid the morning and afternoon rush-hour commute.

The Embassy also wishes to provide the following reminders to our clients:

1. Unless extremely necessary, clients are requested to refrain from bringing companions when visiting the Embassy to allow us to manage more efficiently the flow of people in the premises.

2. Those who are feeling unwell or are experiencing some flu or cold-like symptoms (i.e. elevated body temperature, cough, sneezing, fatigue, headache) are also requested to defer their planned visit/ transaction to the Embassy. These thoughtful precautions on your part will help in ensuring the safety of other clients, particularly those who fall under high risk/vulnerable groups.

3. You are encouraged to choose mail-in transactions if possible (i.e. for civil registry and authentication services) to reduce your risk of exposure through travel and to reduce the volume of clients in the premises.

For consular-related inquiries, you may email the Embassy at consular@philippine-embassy.de. Please also visit our website, www.philippine-embassy.de and Facebook page (@PHinGermany) for any further information and updates.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Berlin, 14 March 2020

PDF: Announcement New Public Opening Hours 14March2020