7-day quarantine for fully vaccinated in ‘Green’ states OK’d

MANILA – Individuals who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in “Green” countries will only have to spend seven days in a quarantine facility upon their arrival in the Philippines, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), in its Resolution 123-C, approved on June 28, agreed to shorten the quarantine period for arriving passengers from “Green” countries, so long as they have already received the two Covid-19 shots, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual presser.

“Required pa ring sumailalim sa pitong araw na facility-based quarantine pagdating sa bansa, whether fully vaccinated sa Pilipinas or abroad (They are still required to undergo facility-based quarantine for seven days upon their arrival in the country, whether they are fully vaccinated in the Philippines or abroad),” Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson, said.

He said the IATF-EID’s latest testing and quarantine rules take effect on July 1.

Under IATF-EID Resolution 123-C, “Green” countries are those classified by the Department of Health as “’Low Risk’ countries or jurisdictions based on disease incidence rate.”

Fully vaccinated travelers 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.

Initially, the IATF-EID only allowed fully vaccinated individuals in the Philippines to spend seven days in a quarantine facility upon their arrival in the country.

Those fully vaccinated in the Philippines are still directed to carry their vaccination card, which should be verified before their departure by a certification issued through the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s Certificate of Vaccination Record Portal or the City Health Officer of the local government unit that administered the full vaccination.

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 IATF-EID Resolution 123-C.

“The fifth-day testing shall be subject to review after 30 days from implementation. Should the RT-PCR test yield a negative result, the individual shall complete the seven-day facility-based quarantine; but if found positive, he or she shall follow the prescribed isolation protocols,” the resolution read.

The BoQ will issue a Quarantine Certificate indicating the individual’s vaccination status upon completion of the seven-day facility-based quarantine.

Those who are not covered by the latest testing and quarantine protocols need to stay in a quarantine facility for 10 days and observe home quarantine for another four days.

“All arriving fully vaccinated individuals not covered by the foregoing shall comply with the testing and quarantine protocols as prescribed under the pertinent provisions of the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines, as amended,” the IATF-EID said in its new resolution.