In compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) established a Technical Working Group (TWG) on Covid-19 Variants.
The TWG, formed through IATF Resolution No. 92, is part of efforts to prevent the entry of a new coronavirus variant that emerged in the United Kingdom and is believed to be more infectious than the original variant.
“This Technical Working Group will monitor and identify the occurrence of new variants of Covid-19 in the country and will provide policy recommendations to the IATF on the appropriate response regarding these variants,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
According to the resolution, the TWG will be chaired by Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire while Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) Executive Director Jaime Montoya will serve as co-chair.
Other members include Dr. Anna Ong-Lim of the DOH Technical Advisory Group (TAG); Dr. Marissa Alejandria of the DOH TAG; Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvana of the DOH TAG; Dr. Celia Carlos of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine; Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-dela Paz of the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health; Dr. Cynthia Saloma of the University of the Philippines–Philippine Genome Center; and Dr. John Wong of health research institution Epimetrics Inc.
The DOH, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Tourism, the Department of the Interior and Local Government particularly for local government units, Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson and the Presidential Communications Operations Office are directed to further strengthen their enforcement, monitoring, and communication efforts or impose such other additional specific measures to mitigate the possible holiday surge of Covid-19 cases.
The resolution stated that all foreign travelers coming from countries/jurisdictions covered by travel restrictions for the new variant of Covid-19, or with a travel history in those areas within the last 14 days before arrival in the Philippines will not be permitted entry to the Philippines.
However, local/accredited foreign diplomats and international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations will be exempted from quarantine protocols as long as they will undergo reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test upon arrival at the airport, execute an undertaking, and observe strict 14-day quarantine.
Also exempted are foreign dignitaries who will observe existing testing and quarantine protocols upon arrival and those for medical and emergency cases, including their medical escorts.
Filipino citizens coming from countries/jurisdictions where travel restrictions are in place, or who have been to the said areas within14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines must strictly observe an absolute 14-day facility-based quarantine period, except for highly exceptional and/or medical reasons, which the Department of Health would determine.
Any individual arriving in the Philippines who may have received vaccination for Covid-19 in other countries/jurisdictions will still be required to observe the mandatory testing and quarantine protocols.
IATF Resolution No. 92 was approved last Jan. 5 via videoconference.
On Tuesday, Hong Kong bared that it has detected the new UK Covid-19 variant from a passenger who arrived from Manila last month.
Hong Kong health authorities found the new variant from a 30-year old female resident who arrived from Manila on Dec. 22, 2020 via a Philippine Airlines flight. (PNA)
