The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has moved to June 22 the testing and quarantine protocols for fully-vaccinated individuals in the Philippines.
The IATF-EID made the decision in consideration of the full rollout of the process of validation of vaccination certificates, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press statement.
“The IATF moved the effectivity date of the implementation of the testing and shortened quarantine protocols for the inbound travel of individuals who were fully vaccinated in the Philippines to June 22, 2021,” said Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson.
The date of effectivity of the protocols for all individuals who already completed two coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccine shots in the Philippines was initially scheduled on June 16, according to the IATF-EID Resolution 120 approved on June 10.
Under the task force’s Resolution 120, fully-vaccinated individuals leaving the Philippines are required to carry their vaccination card verified before their departure and present to a Bureau of Quarantine representative for re-verification at the Department of Transportation’s One-Stop Shop upon their return to the country.
Fully vaccinated individuals who have been inoculated in the country are also mandated to present their vaccination cards before boarding.
They must also secure a certification issued by the Department of Information and Communications Technology or the City Health Officer of the local government unit which administered the last dose necessary for full vaccination.
According to IATF-EID Resolution 120, returning fully vaccinated individuals in the Philippines only need to spend seven days in a quarantine facility upon their arrival in the country.
The quarantine period imposed on individuals who are already fully vaccinated against Covid-19 is shorter than the mandated 14 days imposed on other inbound passengers to the country.
Fully-vaccinated individuals will only undergo reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing, in case they exhibit Covid-19 symptoms within their seven-day quarantine.
The testing and quarantine rules do not apply to individuals who received the Covid-19 vaccine jabs abroad. (PNA)
