President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed a resolution lifting the quarantine requirement for travelers entering the Philippines who are either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or whose vaccination status cannot be independently validated.

In a tweet, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay confirmed that the President has signed the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Resolution No. 2 allowing inbound travelers sans quarantine.

Under the resolution, inbound travelers will still have to present a negative result of a laboratory-based rapid antigen test.

“Filipinos and foreign nationals 15 years or older shall present a remotely supervised or a laboratory-based rapid antigen negative test result administered and certified by a healthcare professional in a healthcare facility, laboratory, clinic, pharmacy, or other similar establishments taken within 24 hours prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin/first port of embarkation in a continuous travel to the Philippines, excluding lay-overs; provided, that, he/she has not left the airport premises or has not been admitted into another country during such lay-over,” the resolution read.

Inbound travelers who fail to present a negative pre-departure test result will be required to undergo a laboratory-based rapid antigen test upon arrival at the airport.

Accompanied minors below 15 years old who are unvaccinated must follow quarantine protocols of their parents or an accompanying adult or guardian traveling with them.

Unaccompanied minors below 15 years old who are unvaccinated must also follow protocols.

Inbound travelers who test positive for Covid-19 through rapid antigen tests must be subjected to prevailing quarantine and isolation protocols of the Department of Health.

Meanwhile, pre-departure testing for fully vaccinated inbound travelers will no longer be required.

A fully vaccinated person must have received the primary series Covid-19 vaccine more than 14 days prior to the date and time of departure from the country of origin or port of embarkation.

They must also present a World Health Organization International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis; VaxCertPH; national or state manual/digital vaccination certificate of the country/foreign government; and other proof of vaccination.

Currently, masks are no longer required in indoor and outdoor settings in the Philippines.

Last month, Marcos emphasized the need to improve access to the country’s tourist destinations to attract more visitors.

He also underscored the need to ensure that these destinations are accessible through improved tourism infrastructure. (PNA)