Arriving travelers in the country will now be required to undergo 14 days of quarantine–the first 10 days in an accredited quarantine hotel or facility and the remaining 4 days in isolation at home or their residence.
On Thursday, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) decided in its resolution No. 114 to impose the new policy amid the surge of novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) overseas.
Presidential and IATF spokesperson Harry Roque said the passengers will undergo a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing on the 7th day of their quarantine.
“Notwithstanding a negative test result, they shall complete the 10-day facility-based quarantine period, under the strict symptom monitoring of the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ),” Roque said in a statement.
Prior to new policy, inbound passengers were allowed to complete their 14-day quarantine in their homes once they tested negative for Covid-19 after their fifth day of stay in quarantine facilities.
Roque said the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the BOQ, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) were instructed by the IATF to issue the necessary advisories on the new policy.
Relaxed quarantine protocols
In a related development, he said the IATF also allowed point-to-point air travel for leisure purposes from the National Capital Region plus–Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, and Rizal–to areas identified by the Department of Tourism.
IATF resolution 114 also allowed those who in the 15 to 17 age group as well as those over 65 to live their residence during the pandemic, but only for the purpose of registering for the Philippine Identification System.
It also allowed the Samahang Basketbal ng Pilipinas (SBP) to host the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup Qualifier on June 2021 through a “bubble-type” setting in Clark, Pampanga.
The issuance also allowed the Philippine Basketball Association to conduct trainings and scrimmages in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ) or modified GCQ.
Likewise, it also authorized the resumption of horse-racing activities in areas under modified enhanced community quarantine under a no-audience set-up.
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