EFFECTIVE yesterday until December 15, travelers from Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy are barred from entering the Philippines as a safety precaution against the entry of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Cabinet Secretary and acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said the seven countries have been included in the country’s Red List, which was expanded during the weekend to also include South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique.
Nograles said inbound travelers from Hongkong, which has confirmed an Omicron case, “shall comply with the testing and quarantine protocols for ‘Yellow List countries/territories/jurisdictions.”
Under existing travel protocols, fully vaccinated travelers coming from countries under the Yellow List are required to present a negative Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test conducted within 72 hours prior to departure from the country of origin, undergo a facility-based quarantine upon arrival and undertake another RT-PCR test on the third day after their arrival in the country.
Those with pre-departure RT-PCR test results may be discharged from facility quarantine upon the release of a negative RT-PCR test. They are required to do self-monitoring up to the 14th day from their date of arrival.
On the other hand, travelers without a negative pre-departure test results are mandated to undergo a facility-based quarantine and undertake an RT-PCR test on the fifth day. They may be discharged from facility quarantine upon release of a negative RT-PCR test and are required to also do self-monitoring up to the 14th day from their date of arrival.
National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) had an emergency meeting on Sunday amid the threats of the Omicron variant, where they reviewed the current status of available hospital and intensive care unit beds and the possible treatments as well as protocols for the prevention of the new variant’s entry and spread.
In its Joint Resolution 151-A approved and issued yesterday, the IATF said inbound passengers or travelers who would come from the countries under the Red List, regardless of their vaccination status, within the last 14 days prior to arrival to any port of the Philippines will not be allowed entry.
Only Filipinos returning to the country via government-initiated or non-government-initiated repatriation and Bayanihan flights will be allowed entry, but subject to the prevailing entry, testing, and quarantine protocols for Red List countries.
Nograles said passengers who have been to the countries under the Red List who are already in transit and will arrive before 12:01 am of November 30, 2021, shall not be subject to the new travel restriction but will be required to undergo facility-based quarantine for 14 days, with day one being the date of arrival, and undergo testing on the seventh day, notwithstanding a negative RT-PCR result.
He said travelers who have already arrived in the country prior to November 28 and are currently undergoing quarantine pursuant to the classifications of their country of origin, need to complete their testing and quarantine protocols.
He said passengers, whether Filipinos or foreigners, who merely transited through the countries under the Red list shall not be considered as having come or stayed from the said country if they only stayed in the airport the whole time and were not cleared for entry into such country by its immigration authorities.
Nograles said the IATF also temporarily deferred the suspension of testing and quarantine protocols for countries/jurisdictions/territories for travelers coming from countries under the “Green List” effective immediately until December 15, 2021.
He said all travelers from the Green List countries must comply with the testing and quarantine protocols required similar to those coming from countries under the Yellow List.
Asked about the entry of foreign tourists, Nograles said the IATF has agreed to suspend Resolution No. 150-A, which provided the protocols for the entry of fully vaccinated nationals from non-visa-required countries under the Green List.
STRONGER LOCAL RESPONSE
“With Omicron designated as a Variant of Concern, the IATF likewise approved the recommendations to strengthen local COVID-19 response. These include strongly enjoining the local government units to heighten their alert for increasing and clustering of cases and emphasizing the need for active case finding, to immediately conduct contact tracing and isolation of cases detected from case surveillance among the community, including domestic and international travelers; and to use RT-PCR testing in order to allow for whole-genome sequencing of collected samples,” he said.
Nograles said the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units are likewise directed to ensure targeted selection of samples for sequencing and address declining submissions of laboratories and regions from domestic and international travelers.
He said the Bureau of Quarantine and the Department of Interior and Local Government, in coordination with local government units (LGUs), have been directed to identify and locate passengers who arrived within 14 days prior to November 29, 2021, from countries classified as Red, and require them to complete isolation under a home quarantine set-up for 14 days from date of arrival and undergo RT-PCR if symptoms develop.
He also said that LGUs and the DILG are also directed to ensure strict implementation and adherence to the Prevent – Detect – Isolate – Test — Reintegrate strategy and adherence and compliance to minimum public health standards (MPHS).
Nograles said the Department of Health (DOH) has also been directed to ensure that the health system capacity is prepared to address any increase in COVID-19 cases, while the sub-Technical Working Group on Data Analytics is directed to begin preparing models to show potential impact of the Omicron variant to prevailing protocols and approvals of the IATF.
Asked if the government would revive the policy on the use of face shields, Galvez said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has recommended its reuse but no final decision has been reached.
He said the government is also reviewing the current Alert Level system especially in Metro Manila, amid calls to lower the region’s Alert Level 2 and the latest Omicron threat.
At the House of Representatives, Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, who chairs the committee on health, called on the public to remain vigilant amid the emergence of the Omicron variant.
“Since the fight against COVID-19 is everybody’s responsibility, I urge the public to strengthen health and social measures and for the health department to enhance vaccination coverage,” Tan said.
Tan emphasized the importance of ramping up the country’s coronavirus sequencing abilities and testing as part of the comprehensive response to fight the pandemic and its variants of concern.
Deputy speaker Bernadette Herrera (PL, Bagong Henerasyon) urged the government not to let its guard down against the new variant from South Africa.
“This new coronavirus variant is a reminder for all of us that this pandemic is far from over, and we hope the authorities will double their efforts to prevent its entry into the Philippines,” Herrera said.
Although the Philippines has already imposed travel restrictions on travelers from South Africa and nearby countries, Herrera said the government must be ready to take extra measures to prevent Omicron being imported.
“Authorities must put additional control measures in place, including enhanced contact tracing, rapid testing and isolation, in all ports of entry nationwide,” Herrera said.
She said a much faster system should be in place to respond to the new variants and a possible rise in COVID-19 cases in the future while the government’s vaccination program is still being rolled out. — With Wendell Vigilia
