From today, India and nine other countries’ travel bans are lifted.

In spite of the rising Covid-19 cases caused by the highly contagious Delta variant, the Philippines will lift the travel ban for all inbound travelers from India and nine other countries starting on September 6, Harry Roque, the presidential spokesperson, stated. Xinhua reports that President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the recommendation of the Covid-19 task force to lift the current travel restrictions on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

‘Travelers coming from the above-mentioned countries must still follow the appropriate entry, testing, and quarantine protocols,’ Roque said in a statement. However, foreign tourists outnumber Filipino nationals in the country, with the exception being holders of special visas, such as diplomats and foreign spouses of Filipinos. Communities in the Philippines have been infected with the Delta variant after local transmission. So far, 1,789 Delta cases have been reported and 33 deaths have occurred.

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It was confirmed by the World Health Organization that the Delta variant is now the dominant strain of Covid-19 spreading in the Philippines. The Philippines imposed a ban on India in April and then expanded to include nine other Delta-affected countries. As a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, the Philippines is now struggling with rising numbers of infections. The Southeast Asian country has recorded a total of 2,040,568 confirmed cases of Covid-19, resulting in 33,873 deaths.