Travelers arriving from countries with the new COVID-19 variant are required to undergo quarantine regardless of their RT-PCR result, the Philippines' chief contact-tracer said Monday.
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Authorities are "closely monitoring" 117 individuals who arrived from the countries and "pwede mag-positive sila o negative, regardless of the result of the RT-PCR test, they have to undergo the 14-day quarantine," said Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
The Philippines has banned the entry of travelers from 21 nations with confirmed cases of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant. The entry ban will last until Jan. 15.
Travelers from countries that will report the presence of the new variant will subsequently be banned, authorities said.
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According to the Department of Health, presence of the new variant has not been detected in the Philippines as of Jan. 2. Positive RT-PCR samples submitted on Monday will be subjected to additional test to ascertain if it's the new variant.
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