MANILA – Stricter testing protocol will be implemented by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for travelers arriving from countries with cases of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) variant.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the mandatory completion of the 14-day facility-based quarantine will be replaced with testing the passengers upon arrival then another test during their fifth day of quarantine.
And, if their second swab test yields a negative result, they can be sent home, according to Roque. It was not specified however how long the quarantine would be for those travelers yielding positive results in the second round of tests.
Roque, meanwhile, said foreign nationals with valid visas, as well as the spouse and underage children of Filipino citizens traveling with them, are now exempted from the travel restrictions imposed by the Philippines.
“Those who arrive for medical and emergency cases, including their medical escorts, if any, are now subject to applicable testing and quarantine protocols as prescribed by the Department of Health,” Roque also noted.
Covered by the travel restriction – which will last until Jan. 31, 2021 – are travelers from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Israel, The Netherlands and China (including Hong Kong).
Also foreign countries under Philippines’ travel ban were Switzerland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Lebanon, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa, Canada, Spain, United States, Portugal, India, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Brazil, Austria, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Oman, UAE, and Hungary./PN
