President Rodrigo Duterte officially approved the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) proposal for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to ease the travel restrictions on ten countries starting Monday, September 6.
On Saturday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque reported that the president has already given his consent to the IATF regarding lifting travel bans on the ten countries.
Effective this September 6, the travel restrictions are to be lifted on the following countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
The lifting of travel restrictions on these ten countries was supposed to proceed last August 31, 2021, yet was pushed to September 6, 2021.
According to Malacañang, individuals coming from these countries are still required to follow strictly and appropriately the correct entry procedures, the quarantine, and testing protocols, as dictated by the government.
A color-coded list of countries was released by the IATF to further guide the travelers on the travel procedures and protocols they have to follow when entering the Philippines from their country of origin.
Among the countries listed in the Green List are American Samoa, Anguilla, Australia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Chad, China, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Gabon, Grenada, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), Hungary, Mali, Federated States of Micronesia, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Poland, Saba, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Slovakia, and Taiwan.
All individuals arriving from these countries listed on the Green list will be mandated to undergo seven-day facility quarantine, alongside Covid-19 testing on the fifth day of quarantine.
The IATF specifies countries under the Yellow List to be those with moderate risk of Covid-19 such that (i) for a population of the territory more than 100,000, the incidence rate of Covid-19 cases must be within 50 to 500; and (ii) for a population of the territory less than 100,000; Covid-19 cases must be at 50 to 500 range, with the testing rate of over the past 28 days per 100,000 population.
Travelers from these countries must undergo 14 days quarantine period with RT-PCR testing on the seventh day upon arrival.
Red listed countries are those with high-risk Covid-19 cases such that (i) for populations greater than 100,000, the incidence rate is significant than 500; and (ii) for populations less than 100,000; the Covid-19 cases must be more than 500 with the testing rate of over the past 28 days per 100,000 population.
Individuals originating from countries classified in the Red List are forbidden to enter the Philippines. Yet, such restrictions are nullified if the individual is a repatriated individual under a government-to-government arrangement; and the individual must be subject to quarantine and testing procedures.
The abovementioned specifications made by IATF are assumed to increase the country’s protection against its worsening condition, given the height of the pandemic.
Kommentare