The Philippine government has escalated Portugal’s classification to Red List category effective Dec. 12, and issued the guidelines on the testing and quarantine protocols for repatriated Filipinos from red-listed countries.
Based on Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) Resolution No. 153, only Filipinos through repatriation flights from Portugal will be allowed to enter the country starting Dec. 15.
Inbound travelers from red countries are barred from entering the Philippines, except for returning Filipinos through repatriation flights.
Acting Pres. Spox. Nograles gives updates from new IATF Resolution, says Portugal has been escalated to Red list category starting Dec. 12, 2021. pic.twitter.com/XfyCIuuf03
— PTVph (@PTVph) December 10, 2021
Fully vaccinated returning Filipinos from red countries and jurisdictions must have a negative RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to departure, and shall undergo facility-based quarantine with an RT-PCR test taken on the seventh day. They can be released after a negative result is issued.
Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals have similar protocols, but they have to undergo a complete 10-day facility-based quarantine.
LOOK: Updated testing and quarantine protocols of returning Filipinos allowed to enter the Philippines as of Dec. 10, 2021 pic.twitter.com/4M1XJV0a81
— PTVph (@PTVph) December 10, 2021
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the IATF is discussing whether or not to ease protocols on the deployment of provincial buses and the new alert levels nationwide.
“With regards sa Alert Level 1, we are still awaiting ‘no iyong final conclusive data coming from the WHO [World Health Organization] with regards sa Omicron variant,” he said.
The government also approved the conduct of the Nationwide Mock Election Exercises on Dec. 29, 2021, and increased the annual deployment ceiling of new hire healthcare workers for Mission Critical Skills occupations to 7,000.
Meanwhile, the official reminded political rallies organizers, attendees, and local government units to take their “shared responsibility” after several political caravans reportedly violated health protocols. – Report from Mela Lesmoras/AG-rir
Watch the report here:
