Public Advisory: OFWs from HK and Macau to be Exempted from Travel Ban

19 February 2020 - The Department of Foreign Affairs informs the public that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for Hong Kong and Macau are now exempted from the travel ban imposed on all Filipino nationals following the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

With the exemption, OFWs returning to Hong Kong and Macau shall be required to execute a declaration which states that they are aware of the risks involved. Newly-hired Filipino employees are likewise exempted from the ban as long as they also sign the form that can be obtained from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

The travel ban exemption for OFWs working in Hong Kong and Macau is one of the decisions adopted at the 6th Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) concluded on 18 February 2020. At the IATF-EID meeting, exemptions from the travel restrictions were redefined, following a thorough risk assessment of the current situation.

Aside from the travel ban exemption for OFWs, the recent resolution also allowed permanent residents of the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions (SARs) and Filipinos leaving to study abroad, to travel to Hong Kong and Macau.

The recent resolution also authorized Filipinos and their foreign spouses or children, as well as holders of diplomatic visas entry into the Philippines, subject to the required 14-day quarantine.

The travel ban was imposed by the IATF-EID on Filipino nationals and holders of permanent resident visas traveling to China and its SARs, Hong Kong and Macau, on 02 February 2020 amid the COVID-19 outbreak. There is no travel ban on Filipino nationals and permanent residents returning from China and its SARs however, returning travelers will be subjected to a 14-day self-quarantine upon their return. END