PH reduces quarantine for fully-vaccinated travellers from green countries

The Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved to shorten the quarantine for fully-vaccinated travellers from green countries.

Starting 1 July, all incoming travellers must undergo seven days of quarantine, down from 14 days. “Green” countries are those classified by the Department of Health (DOH) as “’Low Risk’ countries or jurisdictions based on disease incidence rate.”

Fully vaccinated travellers in “Green” countries must carry their official documentation of full vaccination validated through the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLO), or present their International Certificate of Vaccination, whichever is applicable, the resolution states.

The following 57 countries and jurisdictions are tagged Green by the DOH:

Albania

American Samoa

Anguilla

Antigua and Barbuda

Australia

Benin

Belize

The British Virgin Islands

Brunei

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cayman Islands

Chad

China

Cote d’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

Eswatini

Falkland Islands

French Polynesia

Gambia

Ghana

Greenland

Grenada

Hong Kong

Iceland

Isle of Man

Israel

Laos

Liberia

Malawi

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritius

Micronesia

Montserrat

Morocco

Mozambique

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Niger

Nigeria

Northern Mariana Islands

Palau

Rwanda

Saba

Saint Barthelemy

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Sierra Leone

Senegal

Singapore

Sint Eustatius

South Korea

Taiwan

Togo

Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)

Vietnam

Zimbabwe

The Bureau of Quarantine (BoQ), according to the IATF-EID’s latest resolution, is mandated to ensure the strict symptom monitoring of fully vaccinated individuals amid their stay in an isolation facility.

Fully vaccinated individuals are likewise required to undergo self-monitoring for another seven days after their quarantine period.

They must also take a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on their fifth day in the quarantine facility for purposes of gathering local data on breakthrough infections, according to the IATF-EID resolution.