The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Thursday (July 22) approved the revised rules for ‘Green Lanes’ that will apply to fully vaccinated international arriving passengers to the Philippines beginning July 26, 12:01 a.m. Manila time.
International arriving passengers to the Philippines, regardless of point of entry, need only to undergo a seven-day facility-based quarantine and RT-PCR testing on the fifth day, with the day of arrival of being the first day.
These passengers must, however, meet all these following conditions:
- Their port of origin is a Green List country/jurisdiction/territory.
- They stayed exclusively in Green List countries/jurisdictions/territories in the last 14 days prior to their arrival in the Philippines. * They are fully vaccinated, whether in the Philippines or abroad.
- Their vaccination status can be independently verified/confirmed by Philippine authorities as valid and authentic upon arrival in the country.
For those qualified for the Green Lanes, the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) shall ensure strict symptom monitoring while in the facility for seven days. Even if the RT-PCR test yields a negative result, the individual shall still complete the seven-day facility-based quarantine.
If the RT-PCR test is positive, prescribed isolation protocols must be followed. Upon completion of such quarantine, the BOQ shall issue a Quarantine Certificate which indicates the individual’s vaccination status. The individual is thereafter enjoined to do self-monitoring for the next seven days.
On the other hand, international arriving passengers to the Philippines, regardless of point of entry, shall not be qualified for the Green Lanes, and shall thus undergo a 10-day facility-based quarantine and a four-day home quarantine, including an RT-PCR test on the seventh day, if any of the following conditions are present:
- Their port of origin is not a Green List country/jurisdiction/territory.
- They stayed outside a Green List country/jurisdiction/territory at any time in the last 14 days before their arrival in the Philippines.
- They have not been fully vaccinated.
- Even if fully vaccinated, their vaccination status cannot be independently verified/confirmed by Philippine authorities as valid or authentic upon their arrival in the country.
Meanwhile, all passengers, whether Filipinos or foreigners, merely transiting through a non-Green List country/jurisdiction/territory shall not be deemed as having come from or having been to the said country/jurisdiction/territory if they stayed in the airport the whole time and were not cleared for entry by immigration authorities.
The IATF classified Green List countries/jurisdictions/territories as low risk countries/jurisdictions/territories, upon the recommendation of the Department of Health (DOH).
The DOH based their classification on the following metrics: For populations greater than 100,000, the incidence rate (cumulative new cases over the past 28 days per 100,000 population) shall be less than 50; and for populations less than 100,000, the COVID-19 case counts (cumulative new cases over the past 28 days) shall be less than 50, as prescribed by its Technical Advisory Group.
Also approved by the IATF are the following documents for purposes of verification/confirmation of vaccination status:
- For overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their spouse, parent/s, or children traveling with them, they must present a certification from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in the country of origin.
- For Filipinos and foreigners fully vaccinated in the Philippines, they must show either their local government unit (LGU) hospital-issued vaccination cards (in original or hard copy form) or LGU-issued vaccine certificate, provided these can be verified/confirmed by border control authorities, or BOQ-issued International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICV).
- For Filipinos vaccinated and foreigners fully vaccinated abroad, they must present the vaccination certificate issued by health authorities of their place of vaccination, provided that such certificate can be independently verified/confirmed by Philippine authorities as valid or authentic. (OPS) – jlo
