Quarantine not required for fully vaxxed ‘green lane’ travelers

MANILA – Arriving passengers who can avail of “green lanes” no longer need to observe a mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines, so long as they are fully vaccinated and test negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Malacañang said on Wednesday.

This developed after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) updated the protocols for fully vaccinated individuals who are qualified for green lanes.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said new rules will take effect on Oct. 14.

In a press statement, Roque said fully vaccinated foreign nationals must yield negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result within 72 hours before they depart from the country of origin.

“Upon arrival, no facility-based quarantine will be required but the passenger is enjoined to self-monitor for any symptoms until the 14th day,” Roque, who concurrently serves as IATF-EID spokesperson, said.

The same protocol also applies to fully vaccinated Filipinos, Roque said.

Roque said fully vaccinated Filipinos may also opt to undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken in the quarantine facility upon arrival.

“The passenger [who is no longer required to undergo quarantine] is enjoined to self-monitor for any symptoms until the 14th day,” he said.

The IATF-EID, in its Resolution 142 approved on Oct. 7, initially directed fully vaccinated individuals from “green” countries to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of the negative result of their RT-PCR test taken on their fifth day in the country.

The IATF-EID classified green countries or jurisdictions as “low risk” countries or jurisdictions, upon the recommendation of the Department of Health. On Sept. 30, the IATF-EID released the updated roster of “green” countries and jurisdictions that shall take effect from Oct. 1 to 15.

Those included in the Green List are American Samoa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Chad, China (mainland), Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Hungary, Madagascar, Mali, Federated States of Micronesia, Montserrat, New Zealand, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Poland, Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of Netherlands), Saint Pierre, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Taiwan, Algeria, Bhutan, Cook Islands, Eritrea, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niue, North Korea, Saint Helena, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

The task force, in its new guidelines, also shortened the quarantine period for unvaccinated individuals.

Roque said unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals, as well as those with unverified vaccination status and those vaccinated but failed to comply with the “test-before-travel requirements”, must undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on their fifth day in the country.

“In the case of foreign nationals, they shall be required to secure hotel reservations for at least six days,” Roque said.

Originally, they are required to undergo quarantine for seven days and spend home quarantine for another seven days.

Roque said unvaccinated or partially vaccinated minors traveling with their fully vaccinated parents or guardians are mandated to observe the quarantine protocols corresponding to their vaccination status.

“A parent/guardian shall accompany the child in the quarantine facility for the full term of the latter’s facility-based quarantine period,” he said.

Roque said overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their spouse, parents, or children going to the Philippines or abroad can present either a VaxCertPH digital certificate, an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICV) issued by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), or World Health Organization (WHO), or the national digital certificate of the foreign government where they were vaccinated to validate their vaccination status.

He said the same requirements may be presented by non-OFWs vaccinated in the country and abroad, as well as the foreigners vaccinated in the Philippines.

For foreigners vaccinated abroad, they can present WHO-issued ICV, or the national digital certificate of the foreign government which has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal agreement, Roque said. (