THE National Government will implement uniform entry, testing and quarantine protocols for all international arriving Filipinos and foreign nationals regardless of their country of origin, presidential spokesperson Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Friday, Jan. 28, 2022.
Nograles said starting Feb. 1, Tuesday, the government will no longer implement the Red, Yellow and Green country classification, the guidance being used to identify the entry, testing and quarantine protocols of arriving international travelers.
He said the entry, testing and quarantine protocols of arriving international travelers will now depend on their vaccination status.
Fully vaccinated international arriving passengers will be required to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.
On arrival in the Philippines, they will no longer be required to observe mandatory facility-based quarantine and should instead self-monitor for any signs or symptoms within seven days with the date of arrival as their first day.
Fully vaccinated arriving travelers are required to coordinate with their respective local government units (LGUs) upon the manifestation of symptoms.
They should also present their proof of vaccination recognized by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), such as the World Health Organization Certificates of Vaccination and Prophylaxis, VaxCertPH and national digital certificate of foreign governments that also accept the country’s VaxCertPH.
For unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or individuals whose vaccination status cannot be verified, they will be required to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure from the country of origin and undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day upon arrival.
“After which they shall be required to undergo home quarantine until their 14th day,” said Nograles.
“The LGUs of destination and their respective Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams are tasked to monitor those arriving passengers undergoing home quarantine,” he added.
Nograles said children 12 years old and below who cannot be vaccinated should follow the quarantine protocol of their adult companion.
Those currently undergoing quarantine may avail themselves of these protocols by Feb. 1.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) welcomed the IATF’s decision to drop the mandatory facility-based quarantine policy for arriving travelers, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as it has been shouldering the food, transport and hotel quarantine expenses of returning OFWs since the start of the pandemic.
“We will finally be able to get a reprieve since the expenses we are processing are really overwhelming,” Owwa Deputy Administrator Arnel Ignacio said in a virtual press briefing. But he expressed hope that the eased protocols will not result in a higher number of Covid-19 cases.
Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday the IATF’s decision has scientific basis and the nod of experts.
Genetic analysis by the Philippine Genome Center showed there was no forward transmission of the Omicron variant, meaning most of the transmission is not from the returning overseas Filipinos, she said in a Palace press briefing
“Our epidemiology bureau also found out that there are few overseas Filipinos who tested positive, compared to local cases. Experts also said it does not make sense anymore because the transmission in the Philippines is already high, and might even be higher than in other countries,” she added.
Vergeire said the country should instead strengthen interventions in the community.
In Cebu, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia issued Memorandum 6-2022 Friday, implementing IATF Resolution 159, s. 2022 that adjusted the entry, testing and quarantine protocols for arriving international passengers.
She said effective Feb. 1, all fully vaccinated persons arriving in Cebu would be allowed entry if they present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.
Unvaccinated, partially unvaccinated or travelers whose vaccination status could not be independently verified would have to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure from country of origin, be swabbed upon arrival and undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their second RT-PCR test result taken on the fifth day.
International passengers traveling to Cebu who cannot present to airline operators at their place of origin proof of full vaccination upon check-in will be classified as unvaccinated or partially unvaccinated. (TPM / HDT / SUNSTAR PHILIPPINES)