Portugal included in PH’s Covid-19 ‘red list’

MANILA – The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has placed Portugal on the “red” list for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) which means travelers from this country are barred from entering the Philippines due to the high risk of infection.

In a virtual press briefing on Friday, Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said the IATF-EID approved Resolution No. 153 on Thursday, which provides for the escalation of Portugal to the red list of countries/territories/jurisdictions effective 12:01 a.m. of December 12 until December 15.

Nograles said passengers who have been to Portugal within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines and who arrive on or after 12:01 a.m. of December 12, but before 12:01 a.m. of December 15, shall be required to undergo facility-based quarantine for 14 days with a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on the 7th day, with Day One being the date of arrival.

Notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR result, the completion of the 14-day quarantine is required.

Starting 12:01 a.m. of December 15, entry in any port of the Philippines shall not be allowed for passengers coming from or who have been to Portugal the last 14 days prior to arrival in the Philippines, regardless of vaccination status.

Only Filipinos returning to the country via government-initiated or non-government-initiated repatriation, and Bayanihan Flights may be allowed entry, subject to existing testing and quarantine protocols for red list countries/territories/jurisdictions, he said.

Other countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and Italy are also on the Philippines’ red list until December 15.