The Philippine government has intensified its measures to prevent the entry of a new coronavirus variant from India which reportedly linked to the deadly second wave of infections in the South Asian country.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) against COVID-19 approved the recommendation to test inbound travelers to the Philippines on the 7th day of the quarantine, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Friday.
The IATF also revised the quarantine rules for returning overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and travelers mandating to complete the 14-day quarantine period.
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Beginning May 8, returning Filipinos and foreigners are required to complete the first 10 days of mandatory quarantine in a government-approved quarantine facility.
Those who will test positive on the seventh day will be taken to a hospital.
If found negative on the seventh day of isolation, the remaining four days will be spent on either a local quarantine facility, hotel quarantine or at their home.
“This is a process para ma-ensure natin that even though nakakapasok pa rin ang ibang travelers, especially Pilipino, sa ating bansa nasisiugro natin na naiisolate natin sila nang maayos to break the chain of transmission,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing.
Roque said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) was tasked to ensure that the results of the RT-PCR tests would be released on the ninth day of quarantine.
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Meanwhile, the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) would strictly monitor those in the facility for symptoms.
DOH earlier recommended the revision of testing protocols citing evidence that the viral load remains high on the eighth day of isolation.
Travelers and returning Filipinos are previously required to undergo COVID-19 tests on their fifth day of isolation. (RA)
