FULLY VACCINATED travelers from 57 “green” countries or those considered low risk by health authorities are now entitled to a shorter quarantine of seven days instead of 10, the Bureau of Immigration announced late Wednesday.
The new policy is based on Resolution No. 123-C issued on June 28 by the task force managing the coronavirus response.
The resolution covers “the inbound international travel to any port of the Philippines of all individuals fully vaccinated in the Philippines regardless of travel history, and those vaccinated abroad who stayed exclusively in “Green” countries/jurisdictions in the past fourteen days immediately preceding arrival.”
The list of countries released by the Immigration bureau includes: Albania, American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Benin, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cayman Islands, Chad, China, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, Gambia, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Hongkong, Iceland, Isle of Man, Israel, Laos, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Rwanda, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Singapore, Saint Eustatius, South Korea, Taiwan, Togo, Turks and Caicos Islands (UK), Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
Passengers covered by the new policy need to present proof of their seven-day booking in a government-accredited quarantine hotel or facility during primary inspection by immigration authorities upon arrival.
The proof of vaccination will be presented to designated Bureau of Quarantine representatives.
REPATRIATION
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported on Thursday that around 1,920 overseas Filipinos from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were repatriated in June.
Flights from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Oman, and the UAE are still banned in the Philippines until July 15, but government-chartered flights for repatriation are exempted.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola, in a statement, said more flights are being organized to bring home land- and sea-based workers.
“We wish to assure our distressed kababayan (countrymen) in the UAE that we are not only firming up plans but executing these plans swiftly to bring them home at the soonest possible time,” Ms. Arriola said. “We will have more flights in the coming days.” — Bianca Angelica D. Añago