Individuals who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 whether in the Philippines or abroad, will still need to undergo a weeklong facility-based quarantine upon arrival in the country based on the latest travel guidelines of the government.
Malacañang on Tuesday announced travel rules for fully vaccinated individuals as approved by the inter-agency task force on pandemic response.
"Required pa rin na sumailalim sa pitong araw na facility-based quarantine pagdating sa bansa whether fully vaccinated sa bansa or abroad," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace press briefing.
Here's what fully vaccinated travelers going to the Philippines should know:
Who are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19?
Individuals whose COVID-19 vaccination satisfy the following criteria are considered fully vaccinated:
- More than or equal to two weeks after having received the second dose in a two-dose series
- More than or equal to two weeks after having received a single-dose vaccine
- The vaccines administered to the individual are included in any of the following:
- Emergency use authorization list or compassionate special permit issued by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration
- Emergency use listing of the World Health Organization.
What do fully vaccinated individuals need to present?
For those vaccinated in the Philippines:
Those fully vaccinated in the Philippines must carry their vaccination card which should be verified prior to their departure by a certification issued through the Certificate of Vaccination Record Portal of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) or the city health officer of the local government unit which administered the full vaccination.
For those vaccinated abroad:
Those fully vaccinated abroad should have official documentation of full vaccination validated through the Philippine Overseas and Labor Office or POLO or present their international certificate of vaccination, whichever is applicable.
Documents must be presented to the dedicated Bureau of Quarantine representative for re-verification at the Department of Tourism One Stop-Shop upon arrival in the Philippines.
What is the quarantine process?
Fully vaccinated individuals need to undergo a seven-day facility based quarantine with their day of arrival serving as the first day.
On the fifth day of quarantine, travelers will be subject to RT-PCR testing. If they test negative for COVID-19, they still need to finish the 7-day quarantine. If they test positive for COVID-19 however, they need to follow the isolation process for positive individuals.
After finishing the seven-day quarantine, the Bureau of Quarantine will issue a quarantine certificate that includes the vaccination status of the traveler. They will need to do self-monitoring for another seven days.
Reportr is now on Quento. Download the app on iOS and Android or visit the Quento website for more articles and videos from Reportr and your favorite websites.
