The authorities in the Philippines have temporarily suspended the quarantine and testing protocol for “green” countries or territories from November 28.
Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a statement that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) approved the temporary suspension of “testing and quarantine protocols for countries/jurisdictions/territories classified as ‘Green’ effective immediately until December 15, 2021.”
The “green” areas are considered low-risk for COVID-19.
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Except for countries classified as “red” or those at “high-risk” which are banned from entry, testing and quarantine protocols for all inbound international travelers in all ports of entry will comply with the testing and quarantine protocols for “yellow” list (moderate risk).
That is, three-day quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers even with a negative Covid-19 test result and and five days for the unvaccinated, with incomplete doses or without a negative Covid-19 test result.
The passengers from ‘green’ countries who arrived prior to November 28 are required to follow quarantine protocols assigned to their country of origin upon the date of their arrival.
The IATF also suspended Resolution No. 150-A, which allowed fully-vaxxed foreigners from green countries to enter the Philippines.
Currently, 41 countries and territories are included in the Philippines’ green list.
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These areas are: American Samoa, Bhutan, Chad, China (Mainland), Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Federated States of Micronesia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), India, Indonesia, Japan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Morocco, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Sudan, Taiwan, Togo, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe were classified as “green” countries but were immediately included to the “red list” due to the B.1.1.1529 or the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
