THE Philippines continues to be closed to international tourism even as government authorities returned to their three-color classification of countries denoting risks for Covid-19 infections.
Government sources said there were no objections from the Department of Tourism (DOT) to exclude foreign tourists among those allowed to enter the Philippines even if they are from Green List countries. Prior to the surfacing of the Omicron variant in late November, the DOT had been preparing for the arrival of international tourists from Green List countries with visa-free status. Authorities, however, never got around to listing those countries as the move to open borders to these tourists was quickly withdrawn.
Latest guidelines from the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) mandated that arrivals from Green List countries submit a negative result from an RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of departing their host country. Upon arrival in the Philippines, vaccinated individuals should quarantine in a hotel for three days, after which they will have to take another RT-PCR test. With a negative test result, they will be allowed to leave the hotel and quarantine at home until the 10th day from arrival.
There were no indications that authorities were alarmed with the discovery of two individuals now infected with the Omicron variant. Both of them arrived recently from Japan and Nigeria. The Department of Health also reported on Wednesday 33 individuals infected with the Delta variant.
âQuarantine system workingâ
Government sources told the BusinessMirror, âActually, the three-day hotel quarantine (for Green List countries) was decided even before the discovery of the two individuals infected with the Omicron.â
The sources added even after the discovery of the Omicron-positive cases, no IATF member moved to recall the new guidelines, which allowed a shorter quarantine period for those arriving from Green List countries.
âActually, quarantine rules are doing their function naman. They discovered the two cases while the individuals were in quarantine, so they were immediately isolated,â said the sources. âItâs just that they are now trying to contact-trace the co-passengers of the two individuals.â
One was a returning Filipino from Japan who arrived on December 1 onboard a Philippine Airlines flight PR427. The other individual is a Nigerian who arrived in Manila on November 30 via Oman Air WY 843.
Back to green
As per Resolution No. 154-B dated December 14, 2021, the IATF determined the following countries to be on the Green List, indicating low risk for Covid-19: Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, Chad, Peopleâs Republic of China, Comoros, CĂ´te dâIvoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Montserrat, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saba (Special Municipality of The Kingdom of the Netherlands), Saint Barthelemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Sudan, Taiwan, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Togo, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates.
Red List countries are Andorra, France, Monaco, Northern Mariana Islands, RĂŠunion, San Marino, South Africa, and Switzerland. Countries not in both lists are considered Yellow List countries, and include the United States and Canada from which the bulk of balikbayans (homecoming Filipinos) will come this Christmas season. The DOT has put up a microsite balikan.ph from which balikbayans can avail of special discounts on air services, hotel bookings, tours, among others.
Vaccinated individuals from Yellow List countries will have to submit a negative result from an RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure, and upon arrival in the Philippines, quarantine for five days. On the fifth day, they will be tested for Covid, and if negative, will be allowed to leave their hotels and quarantine at home until the 14th day.
