Inbound Travel Updates | November 2021

[Paul]

No more facility-based quarantine for vaccinated Foreigners, Filipinos from ‘Green’ Countries


No need for facility-based quarantine for fully-vaccinated foreigners and Filipinos upon arrival in the Philippines so long as they come from "GREEN" countries.

This was announced by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) through Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a statement on Wednesday, October 13. This is also according to IATF Resolution Nos. 144-A and 144-B.

Starting Thursday, the following will be required of fully-vaccinated foreigners entering the Philippines from “GREEN” countries and do not apply to tourists:

• A negative result in a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test within 72 hours prior to departure from their country of origin.
• Upon arrival in the Philippines, self-monitoring for any symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days.

The GREEN COUNTRIES from October 16 to October 31. 2021 are:

• Algeria
• American Samoa
• Bhutan
• Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
• Cayman Islands
• Chad
• China (Mainland)
• Comoros
• Republic of the Congo
• Cook Islands
• Eritrea
• Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
• Gibraltar
• Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China)
• Kiribati
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Marshall Islands
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Montserrat
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Niger
• Niue
• North Korea
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Palau
• Poland
• Saba (Special Municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
• Saint Helena
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• Samoa
• Sierra Leone
• Sint Eustatius
• Solomon Islands
• Sudan
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Tajikistan
• Tanzania
• Tokelau
• Tonga
• Turkmenistan
• Tuvalu
• Uzbekistan
• Vanuatu
• Yemen

Fully-vaccinated Filipinos can choose to take the same RT-PCR test as foreigners within 72 hours before departure and show a negative result, or choose to take the RT-PCR test at a quarantine facility upon their arrival in the Philippines and stay at the facility until they receive a negative result.

Facility-based quarantine is still required for the following Filipinos until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on their 5th day of quarantine:

• Unvaccinated
• Partially vaccinated
• Individuals whose vaccination status cannot be independently verified
• Those vaccinated but failed to comply with the test-before-travel requirements.

Foreigners who fall into any of the above categories are required to secure hotel reservations for at least six days.

Unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated children traveling with their fully-vaccinated guardians must observe the quarantine protocols that correspond with their vaccination status. Their guardian will accompany them in the quarantine facility. COVID-19 vaccinations in the Philippines among minors aged 12 to 17 begin on October 15. Those who fall under that age range and who have underlying medical conditions can be vaccinated in pilot areas in Metro Manila.

The vaccine status of overseas Filipino workers (OFW), non-OFWs, and foreigners vaccinated in the Philippines can be validated by presenting their VaxCertPH digital certificate, Bureau of Quarantine/World Health Organization-issued (WHO) International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICV), or the national digital certificate issued by the government of the country where they were vaccinated.

Foreign nationals can validate their vaccine status through their WHO-issued ICV or the national digital certificate of the foreign government which has accepted the VaxCertPH under a reciprocal agreement.


YELLOW LIST COUNTRIES

Facility-based quarantine is still required for individuals who are arriving from “yellow” or “red” list countries. Romania is classified as “red,” while all other countries, jurisdictions, and territories not mentioned are classified as “yellow.”

Fully vaccinated individuals coming from yellow list countries need to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day of their quarantine. They will then be required to undergo home quarantine until the 10th day. Foreign nationals are required to secure pre-booked accommodation for at least six days.

Individuals coming from yellow list countries who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or whose vaccination status cannot be independently verified by Philippine authorities as valid and authentic are required to undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on the seventh day of their quarantine. They will then undergo home quarantine until their 14th day. Foreign nationals are required to secure pre-booked accommodation for at least eight days.


RED LIST COUNTRIES

Only Filipinos returning to the country via government-initiated repatriation, non-government-initiated repatriation, and Bayanihan flights may be allowed entry, subject to testing and quarantine protocols. All other inbound travelers coming from or who have been to red list countries within 14 days prior to their arrival in the Philippines are not allowed, regardless of vaccination status.

Individuals who are transiting through a red list country will not be considered as having come from that country if they stayed at the airport the whole time and were not cleared for entry by its immigration authorities. These passengers will comply with the existing testing protocols upon their arrival in the Philippines.

Filipinos returning to the Philippines from red list countries are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. The first 10 days of quarantine will be facility-based, while the remainder will be completed under home quarantine in their respective local government units of destination. They will undergo an RT-PCR test on the seventh day of quarantine but must complete the entire 10-day duration of the facility-based quarantine even if they test negative.

The Bureau of Quarantine shall ensure strict symptom monitoring while they are in the quarantine facility.

The government lifted inbound travel restrictions on the United Arab Emirates, India, and eight other countries on September 6, allowing thousands of stranded OFWs to return home amid expiring work contracts and overstaying woes.

As of October 14. 2021 the Philippines has 2,698,232 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 40,221 COVID-19-related deaths. As of October 10. 2021 there are 23,186,969 fully vaccinated Filipinos, or 21.04% of the population. The Philippines began vaccinating the rest of its adult population on October 07. 2021

[Logan]

Philippines prepares for reopening as quarantine lifted for 44 countries

Following the headline on Tuesday that the Philippines is waiving quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated visitors from 44 “green list” countries, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is reportedly gearing up for the eventual reopening of Philippine borders to international tourists, despite a steady decline in Covid-19 cases in the country.

According to the Manila Times, the Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the bureau’s workforce and corresponding facilities were ready to go if the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) gave its green signal to allow international tourists into the country, citing facilities have been already set up.

While no specific date has been set for the reopening, Morente noted in a statement that he believes it will be very soon.

“Those from the green list countries will most likely be the first to be permitted admission.”

Frontline employees, on other hand, will not be able to file vacation leaves over the holiday season, according to the BI, adding that 99 new immigration officers have been hired to work in the BI’s ports and offices across the country.

“We’ve also resumed using our e-gates for arriving Filipinos because it would significantly reduce the processing time for our fellow citizens who will be returning here for Christmas.”

According to lawyer Carlos Capulong, the head of the BI port operations division, 44 countries are on the green list, while two—the Faroe Islands and the Netherlands—remain on the red list.

[Sundance2020]

Travellers who break Philippines quarantine rules face US$1,000 fine or 6 months in jail



The Philippines has issued a warning to incoming travellers that those who break quarantine rules might face fines of up to 50,000 Philippine pesos (US$1,000) or six months in prison as it prepares to deal with the new strain of Omicron in the wake of a spike in Covid-19 cases.

During a television interview yesterday, President Duterte’s spokesperson, Karlos Nograles, stated that the government will track down the violators who break the protocols, adding that criminal charges will also be filed against those who set an example for others.

Don’t even think about breaking the rules because we’ll track you down, even the hotels.

The warning follows a cluster of cases by a Filipino woman who returned to the Metro Manila region from the US and allegedly breached quarantine regulations by attending a party in Makati City, testing positive for the virus with seven of her 15 close contacts last month.

Another traveller from the US has also been reportedly alleged to have skipped quarantine and authorities have launched an investigation into the case.

For the second time in three months, the Philippines has been classified as a high-risk case due to violations of quarantine regulations. As stated by the Department of Interior and Local Government, police are ordered to make random visits to different quarantine hotels across the country.

The archipelago saw a dramatic spike in Covid-19 cases, with 4,600 new infections on Sunday.

According to Health Undersecretary Leopold Vega, the delta form still accounts for the bulk of cases, while specialists believe that the Omicron variant will overtake it in the coming weeks.

[Steve]

Philippines sets “no vaccine, no ride” policy for Manila public transportation

If you’re in the Philippines, you’ll need to show your vaccination certificate to use public transportation in the country’s capital Manila. The Southeast Asian country’s new “no vaccine, no ride” policy prohibits those who are unvaccinated against Covid-19 from riding public transportation in Manila starting next week.

The controversial restriction was enacted after a fresh wave of Cvoid-19 cases skyrocketed in the Philippines, reaching a total of around 3 million infections on Tuesday, owing to the highly transmissible Omicron.

The country recorded 32,000 new daily infections on Wednesday alone, the second-highest number since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020. In the Philippines, only about 53.4 million people out of 110 million have been properly vaccinated against the virus so far.

According to an order issued by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, the new policy, which will take effect on January 17, will include all domestic public transportation trips to, from, and within the National Capital Region and only fully vaccinated passengers with documentation of identification and vaccination status are permitted to purchase tickets.

Only those who are unable to get vaccinated owing to medical conditions, as well as those who have been designated by their home to purchase vital commodities outside of their immediate region of residence, are excused from the requirement.

Opposition lawmakers, transportation organisations, and human rights organisations all slammed the decree right away, as some called it “no legal basis,” “illegal and stupid,” “violates the people’s basic rights,” and so on. Opposition leader Renato Reyes wrote in a tweet saying “ How about people who are going to their vaccination sites? They are expected to walk?”

Transportation Undersecretary Artemio Tuazon responded by telling reporters that the directive did not violate the constitution, adding that people might travel in their own cars.
“In our Bill of Rights, what is protected is the right of travel. We are not limiting the travel of commuters, what we are limiting is the use of public transport.”