A Philippines senator has urged for easing of COVID-19 quarantine protocols for all fully vaccinated overseas Filipinos returning to the country.
Senator Richard J. Gordon, in a letter sent June 15 to the national task force handling the coronavirus response, stated that he had recommended to Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. – the task force chief implementer – about allowing migrants to go home if they had been vaccinated either abroad or in the Philippines.
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Such people could be allowed to go home directly for quarantine of seven days and later be tested for coronavirus within the fifth to the seventh day of isolation, Gordon said, adding that returning Filipinos should be allowed to interact only with their household and community after testing negative for the disease.
Appealing to the authorities to help “alleviate the financial and emotional expense to our people during these trying times,” he said quarantining returning Filipinos — especially overseas workers – for 14 days would drain their resources and time that they planned to spend with their families from whom they had already been separated for years.”
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Earlier this month, the task force had approved reducing the quarantine period of fully vaccinated Filipinos to seven days – but only if they took the jab in the Philippines.
Returning Filipinos, who were vaccinated abroad, still need to undergo a 10-day quarantine at a facility and four days at home. (AW)
