PH releases updated list of ‘green’ states, jurisdictions

MANILA – The Philippines has revised the roster of “green” countries and jurisdictions to ensure the smooth implementation of more relaxed testing and quarantine protocols for individuals who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

In a press statement issued Friday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque released the updated list of 57 countries and jurisdictions where “green lane” policy for fully-vaccinated travelers will be implemented.

At least 11 states and jurisdictions, namely Azerbaijan, Barbados, Bermuda, Comoros, Curacao, Dominica, Gabon, Liechtenstein, Mali, North Macedonia, and Romania, have been added to the list.

On the other hand, Belize, Liberia, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Zimbabwe have been removed from the roster of “green” countries and jurisdictions.

The states and jurisdictions included in the revised list are as follows:

Albania
American Samoa
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Azerbaijan
Barbados
Benin
Bermuda
The British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Burkina Faso
Cayman Islands
Chad
China
Comoros
Cote d’ Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Curacao
Dominica
Eswatini
Falkland Islands
French Polynesia
Gabon
The Gambia
Ghana
Greenland
Grenada
Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China)
Iceland
Isle of Man
Israel
Laos
Liechtenstein
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Federated States of Micronesia
Montserrat
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Niger
Nigeria
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Romania
Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of Netherlands)
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Singapore
Sint Eustatius
South Korea
Taiwan
Togo
Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
Vietnam

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the updated list on Thursday, Roque said.

The “green” countries and jurisdictions are those classified by the Department of Health as “low-risk countries or jurisdictions based on disease incidence rate,” according to the IATF-EID’s Resolution 123-C issued on June 28.

Under IATF-EID Resolution 123-C, travelers from “green” countries are allowed to spend seven days rather than 14 days in a quarantine facility upon their arrival in the Philippines, so long as they are fully vaccinated.

Fully-vaccinated passengers from “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, based on the resolution.

Roque on June 30 said the option of presenting POLO validations as proof of vaccination is exclusive to overseas Filipino workers.

Initially, the IATF-EID only allowed fully vaccinated individuals in the Philippines to stay in a quarantine facility for seven days once they arrive in the country.

Fully-vaccinated persons in the Philippines are still mandated to carry their vaccination card, which should be verified before their departure by 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) is directed to ensure the strict symptom monitoring of fully vaccinated individuals amid their stay in an isolation facility.

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

The IATF-EID Resolution 123-C also mandates them to 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.

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

Travelers who are not covered by the new testing and quarantine protocols are directed to stay in a quarantine facility for 10 days and observe home quarantine for another four days.