President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) recommendation to lift the current travel restrictions in the United Arab Emirates, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia starting September 6, 2021.
“International travelers coming from the abovementioned countries shall, however, comply with the appropriate entry, testing, and quarantine protocols, depending on the country’s approved listing,” Malacañang said in an announcement.
The Palace added that the IATF approved the adoption of “Yellow” and “Red” classifications, in addition to the “Green List” countries/jurisdictions/territories.
This is based on their respective incidence rates and case counts as primary criteria, and testing data as secondary criteria.
“Yellow List” countries/jurisdictions/ territories are tagged as “Moderate Risk” based on the following metrics: (i) for populations greater than 100,000, the incidence rate shall be 50 to 500; and (ii) for populations less than 100,000, the COVID-19 case counts shall be 50 to 500; and testing rate of tests over the past 28 days per 100,000 population.
“Inbound international travelers, regardless of their vaccination status, coming from or with travel history within the last 14 days prior to their arrival in the Philippines from “Yellow List” countries/jurisdictions/territories shall be governed by entry, testing and quarantine protocols,” Malacañang said.
Returning Filipinos will still need to undergo 14-day quarantine upon arrival. They have to complete the first 10 days in a quarantine facility while the remaining 4 days must be spent under home quarantine.
Second, they shall undergo RT-PCR testing on the 7th day, with their day of arrival serving as Day 1.
Regardless of a negative test result, they will finish their 10-day mandatory quarantine in a hotel facility.
The Bureau of Quarantine shall ensure strict symptom monitoring while in the facility quarantine for 10 days.
On the other hand, the IATF classified “Red List” countries/jurisdictions/territories as “High Risk” based on the following metrics: (i) for populations greater than 100,000 the incidence rate shall be more than 500; and (ii) for populations less than 100,000, the COVID-19 case counts shall be more than 500, and testing rate of tests over the past 28 days per 100,000 population.
“Inbound international travelers, regardless of their vaccination status, coming from or who have been to “Red List” countries/jurisdictions/territories shall not be allowed to enter the Philippines. Only Filipinos returning to the country via government-initiated repatriation, non-government-initiated repatriation, and Bayanihan flights may be allowed entry, subject to entry, testing and quarantine protocols,” it said in a statement.
All passengers, whether Filipinos or foreigners, merely transiting through a “Red List” country/jurisdiction/ territory shall not be deemed as having come from or having been to said country/jurisdiction/territory if they stayed in the airport the whole time and were not cleared for entry by its immigration authorities.
Upon their arrival in the Philippines, passengers merely transiting though a “Red List” country/jurisdiction/territory shall be covered with existing testing and quarantine protocols. (TDT)
