Malacañang on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, released the new Coronavirus disease (Covid) quarantine and testing protocol for arriving Filipinos from abroad and foreign travelers visiting the country.
Cabinet Secretary and acting Presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles bared that effective Feb. 10, 2022, 12:01 a.m., fully vaccinated Filipinos only need to show a negative result of a real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test taken 48 hours before departure from the country of origin.
Upon arrival in the country, the Filipinos arriving from abroad don’t need to undergo facility- based quarantine.
However, they must monitor themselves for any Covid symptom for 7 days from arrival in the country.
Any signs or symptoms of Covid infection should be reported to the local government unit (LGU), Nograles said.
Nograles added Filipinos who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or whose vaccination status cannot be validated, need to present a negative RT-PCR test result taken 48 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.
He added they need to undergo quarantine in a facility upon arrival, until they get a negative result of another RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day from date of arrival.
Then, they should undergo home quarantine until the 14th day, under the supervision of LGU authorities.
Nograles said unvaccinated Filipinos below 12 years will follow the quarantine protocol of the parent/guardian traveling with them, Nograles said.
Meanwhile, Nograles said 12 to 17-year-old minors will follow the protocol that apply to their inoculation status.
“In the cases of unvaccinated minor children, either parent should accompany their child or children during the facility-based quarantine,” the acting Presidential spokesman said.
For fully recovered Filipinos who still test positive for Covid, they will be allowed to enter the Philippines as long as they are able to present the following documents, Nograles said.
1. Positive RT-PCR test result taken not earlier than 10 days but not later than 30 days prior to departure.
2. Positive RT-PCR test result taken within 48 hours prior to departure.
3. Medical certificate from a doctor indicating that the traveler to the country already completed the needed isolation period, is no longer able to spread the virus, and may safely travel to the Philippines.
Upon arrival, they will no longer stay in a quarantine facility if they are fully vaccinated.
However, they should monitor themselves for Covid symptoms for 7 days, Nograles said.
If they are unvaccinated, they need to undergo quarantine in a faclity.
They need to yield a negative RT-PCR result taken on the fifth day from the date of arrival.
Then, they shall be ordered to stay in home quarantine for until the 14th day from the date of arrival, he added.
Nograles said that effective Feb. 10, 2022, 12:01 a.m., foreign travelers entering the country for business or tourism may enter even without visas, if they are able to comply certain conditions.
a. They are qualified as former Filipino citizens with Balikbayan privilege under Republic Act 9174, including their spouse and/or children who are not balikbayans in their own right and are traveling with them to the country; provided they are not restricted nationals
b. They are a citizen/national from countries entitled to stay in the country not exceeding 30 days as per Executive Order 408, series of 1960, as amended. The countries covered by E0 408, series of 1960 are enumerated in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website found at https://dfa.gov.oh/list-of-countries-for-21-day-visa
Moreover, the foreign nationals arriving in the country should be:
– fully vaccinated except only for minor children below 12 years of age, traveling with their fully-vaccinated foreign parentis.
– able to carry/possess an acceptable proof of vaccination.
– able to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay-overs; provided, that, he/she has not left the airport premises or has not been admitted into another country during such lay-over
– able to present valid tickets for their return trip to their place of origin or next destination not later than 30 days from date of arrival in the Philippines.
-able to show passports valid for a period of at least 6 months at the time of their arrival to the Philippines.
-able to obtain, prior to arrival, a travel insurance for Covid treatment costs from reputable insurers, with a minimum coverage of USD 35,000 for the duration of their stay in the Philippines.
A foreign national is classified as fully vaccinated only it he/she Is fully compliant with the following requisites:
a. Received the 2nd dose in a 2-dose series or a single dose vaccine more than 14 days prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin.
b. The vaccine brand is included in any of the following: Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) List or Compassionate Special Permit issued by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
c. The vaccine brand is included in the EUA list of the World Health Organization (WHO).
These are the acceptable proofs of vaccination that shall be presented by the traveler upon entry into the Philippines:
a. WHO International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis; or
b. VaxCertPH; or
c. National or state digital vaccination certificate of the country or foreign government which has accepted VaxCertPH as proof of vaccination, or
d. Other proofs of vaccination permitted by the national Inter Agency Task Force (IATF).
“Visa-free foreign nationals who fail to fully comply [with] the conditions and requisites mentioned shall be denied admission into the country and shall be subject to the appropriate exclusion proceedings,” Nograles said.
“But once admitted into the country, such foreign nationals are no longer required to observe facility-based quarantine,” he added.
According to Nograles the foreign nationals are instead required to monitor themselves for symptoms within 7 days from arrival in the country.