The Department of Health said it would recommend exempting Filipinos who have been fully vaccinated abroad from testing for the Covid-19 upon their arrival in the country.
Health Usec. Maria Rosario Vergeire said the current guidelines only allow the non-requirement of RT-PCR testing for Filipinos who have been fully vaccinated in the country.
“The system with our green lanes, those who were vaccinated in the Philippines and they go abroad and come back, there will only be seven days quarantine without any testing,” she said.
After seven days, they may be discharged from quarantine if they do not have symptoms of the infection and would simply be monitored by their local government.
“We’re recommending the same to those vaccinated abroad going back here,” Vergeire said.
Since the number of infections has increased due to the detection of the more transmissible variants, Vergeire said testing returning Filipino travelers for Covid-19 is an important part of the response against the pandemic.
“We should be cautious so we’re implementing the ease of travel restrictions gradually for the fully vaccinated until we can reach that coverage where we can say it’s already safe for our fellowmen not to quarantine and test,” she added.
On June 18, the government said the implementation of a seven-day facility-based quarantine period for returning overseas Filipino workers and travelers who have been fully vaccinated in the country will start on June 22. – PNA
