RT-PCR retest not needed for returning workers: DOH

MANILA – Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Friday said a repeat RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test for workers who completed their 14-day quarantine is no longer needed as long as they have a certificate of completion.

In a virtual briefing, Vergeire said this also applies to employees afflicted with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) who recovered and finished their isolation.

“As long as they already have their clearance from government or private physicians that they have completed their quarantine period or isolation period, dapat po tinatanggap na natin (we should accept them),” she appealed to employers.

Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals exposed to a coronavirus-positive person are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine.

READ: Quarantine days shortened under new IATF rules

The quarantine period, meanwhile, for fully vaccinated persons who do not exhibit Covid-19 symptoms has been shortened to seven days.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Friday said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases approved on Thursday the altered protocols for close contact with probable, suspect, and confirmed cases of Covid-19.