Hotels not complying with quarantine rules to be penalized

MANILA – Hotels that fail to comply with quarantine protocols for Filipino and foreign travelers coming from abroad will be penalized by authorities, Malacañang said on Wednesday.

Acting Presidential Spokesperson, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles issued this warning as he reminded hotels to ensure compliance to resolutions issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for “green” (low risk), “yellow” (moderate risk), and “red” (high-risk) list countries, jurisdictions, and territories.

“DOJ [Department of Justice] na bahala (We will leave it up to the DOJ). We are under a public health emergency and we are governed by very strict laws. So anyone that cheats the system will be penalized accordingly,” Nograles said in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel’s (ANC) Headstart.

Nograles admitted that there were “rumors” about some hotels not complying with quarantine protocols, but noted that these have yet to be proven.

Currently, vaccinated travelers from green and yellow list territories will have to present a negative pre-departure reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) taken within 72 hours prior to their departure from their country of origin.

Upon arrival, they shall undergo facility-based quarantine with a third-day RT-PCR test.

They may be discharged upon the release of a negative RT-PCR test and will be enjoined to self-monitor up to the 14th day from the date of arrival.

If without a negative pre-departure test, they shall undergo facility-based quarantine with a fifth-day RT-PCR test and will be discharged upon the release of a negative test.

They shall be required to undergo home quarantine until the 10th day from the date of arrival.

Those who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and individuals whose vaccination status cannot be independently validated will have to undergo facility-based quarantine with an RT-PCR test done on the seventh day.

Upon the release of a negative RT-PCR test, they shall be required to undergo home quarantine until the 14th day from the date of arrival.

“The faster you get the results then the faster you can leave the facility and do self-monitoring. These are for fully-vaccinated,” Nograles said.

On November 28, the IATF temporarily suspended testing and quarantine protocols for countries, jurisdictions, and territories classified on the green list amid the looming threat of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Except for countries classified as red, testing and quarantine protocols for all inbound international travelers in all ports of entry will comply with the testing and quarantine protocols for the yellow list.