Uniform quarantine protocols for all vaxxed individuals now underway

By Christine Fabro

Standard quarantine protocols for Filipinos vaccinated in the Philippines and abroad are underway, the National Task Force Against COVID-19 Technical Working Group (NTF-TWG) said on June 18.

NTF Chief Implementer and vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. said during the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) employees’ vaccination said that the proposed guidelines are still being deliberated by the NTF, “as it continues to look at the best vaccine practices of other nations which can be applied in the Philippines.” 

“Once na ang isang OFW ay vaccinated abroad and it was validated that they were really vaccinated, he or she will have the same quarantine control with those vaccinated here in the Philippines,” he said.

According to a news release, Galvez said the crafting of these quarantine protocols will be among the issues to be discussed during consultations with experts from Israel’s Ministry of Health – which is scheduled to arrive in the country next week.

“We want the policy for the vaccinated individuals to be fair and consistent because we have to remember that even vaccinated people can still get infected, especially now that we have new variants,” he said. 

In a Laging Handa public briefing on Saturday (June 19), Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire mentioned the Inter-Agency Task Force’s (IATF) resolve on a shorter quarantine period for vaccinated Filipinos who were inoculated in the Philippines.

For other countries, she said that there are ongoing studies with regard to the uniform quarantine protocols for all vaccinated individuals. 

“So sa ngayon po, tayo po ay nakikipag-usap; the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) is coordinating with the different embassies. Tinitingnan din natin iyong risk classification ng isang bansa kung paano po natin maisasama iyan sa criteria na binubuo natin,” Vergeire said. – rir