MANILA: The Philippines will extend a ban on travelers from India and nine other countries to the end of August because of concerns posed by the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the presidential spokesperson said on Friday.
Authorities in the Philippines are scrambling to contain a jump in coronavirus cases to a four-month high, with infections staying above the 12,000 mark for a second straight day on Thursday, and hospitals in some areas nearing capacity.
The travel ban, which was first imposed on April 27, has been rolled over several times and expanded to include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the coronavirus task force to extend the travel restrictions from Aug. 16 to Aug. 31, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
The Manila capital region, an urban sprawl of 16 cities that is home to 13 million people, remains under a strict lockdown to contain the spread of Delta, while the government ramps up its vaccination drive.
With about 11 percent of the country’s 110 million people fully immunized, millions still remain highly vulnerable to COVID-19, which has killed more than 29,500 in the Southeast Asian country.
As cases surge, more hospitals in the capital region have reported intensive care units, isolation beds and wards were nearing full capacity and some have had to refuse new patients because of a lack of beds and ventilators.
Philippines extends travel ban for Pakistan, nine others over Delta concerns
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Philippines extends travel ban for Pakistan, nine others over Delta concerns
- Ban includes India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, UAE, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia
- Authorities in the Philippines are scrambling to contain a jump in coronavirus cases to a four-month high
Pakistan, Jordan agree to enhance cooperation in trade, energy, investment
- Pakistan, Jordan hold inter-ministerial commission meeting in Islamabad to discuss cooperation in several sectors
- Both sides agree to form working group, Jordan-Pakistan Business Council to accelerate trade and investment cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Jordan have agreed to enhance cooperation in trade, investment, banking, energy and other economic sectors, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan said on Thursday.
The understanding was reached between the two sides at a meeting of the Pakistan-Jordan Inter-ministerial Commission in Islamabad on Thursday.
Pakistan enjoys cooperation with Jordan in several sectors including trade, defense and minerals. Jordan was the fifth country to recognize Pakistan after it secured independence in 1947. The two nations established formal diplomatic ties in 1948.
“Areas which cover a very diversified sectoral approach from trade and investment, industrial development, banking and finance, agriculture and livestock, higher education, vocational training, labor, health, climate change, maritime, energy, mineral resources and many more,” Khan said at a news conference with Jordanian Minister of Industry and Trade Yarub Qudah.
The Pakistani minister said it was a “very good opportunity” for both sides to transform their brotherly relations into economic cooperation.
Qudah agreed with Khan, saying it was time for Islamabad and Amman to take their economic and trade relations to “a totally different level.”
“We have also agreed to have a working group that will work this year on different sectors and also the establishment of the Pakistan-Jordan Business Council,” he said.
He invited Khan to Jordan to hold talks on further cooperation, adding that the 11th meeting of the inter-ministerial commission will be held in Jordan next year.
The bilateral trade between Pakistan and Jordan stood at $46.58 million in 2023. Pakistan’s main exports to Jordan include textiles, rice, ethyl alcohol, polymers of styrene, sugar confectionaries, nuts and dried fruits.
Meanwhile, Pakistan mainly imports mineral and chemical fertilizers, ferrous waste and scrap, inorganic acids, chemicals, medicaments and seeds from Jordan.
