By Daisy CL Mandap
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| Fully vaccinated travelers from HK can now skip quarantine in the PHL |
Filipinos in Hong Kong have welcomed the news that
they no longer have to stay in a quarantine facility when they fly to the
Philippines, as long as they are fully vaccinated and can present a negative
result for a Covid-19 PCR test done within 72 hours before boarding.
Upon arrival in the Philippines, all they have to do is to monitor themselves for 14 days for any symptoms of Covid-19.
This is because Hong Kong and mainland China are among
the places designated by the Philippines as “green” (or low-risk) countries
where the conditional no-quarantine rule applies.
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The new regulation, which took effect starting Thursday, applies to Filipinos and foreigners alike. It was passed a day earlier by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19, in the wake of a significant drop in the number of new coronavirus cases in the country.
From a record-high of more than 26,000 cases reported on Sept 11, the number is now down to just more than 7,000.
This has prompted the government to relax many lockdown restrictions in the country starting today, Oct. 16, including the reopening of more business establishments like cinemas, museum, parks, libraries and other places of entertainment.
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Among those who reacted to the news with joy are a
number of Filipino migrant workers who are about to go home to the Philippines
for a vacation.
Elaine Rosal said in a message to The SUN that she is due to go on vacation next month and wanted to find out if there were still free Covid-19 tests being done in Hong Kong.
She was told that free tests are available only to
those who are covered by the compulsory testing notice. Swab tests needed for
travel could be done in any of the community testing centers across Hong Kong,
but a fee of $240 is charged each time. Prior appointment is also required.
(To find a testing facility, check the list here: https://www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/info)
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Other Filipinos also welcomed the news, as it means
they are freed from at least seven days of isolation in a quarantine facility
when they get to the Philippines. The only downside is that when they return to
Hong Kong, they will still have to spend and stay for 21 days in a quarantine
hotel, as the Philippines is designated here as a high-risk place.
Previously, fully vaccinated travelers arriving in the
Philippines from green countries were required to spend seven days in hotel
quarantine, during which they were tested on their third day. No negative test
result prior to boarding their flights was, however, required.
The new rule allows all fully vaccinated Filipinos and
foreigners coming from green places to choose between presenting a valid RT-PCR
test before boarding, or take the test at a quarantine facility on their
arrival in the Philippines, and stay there until they receive a negative
result.
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Facility-based quarantine is still required for the
following travelers until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on their
5th day of quarantine: (1) unvaccinated (2) partially vaccinated (3) those
whose vaccination status cannot be verified, and (4) those who fail to present
a valid negative test result before boarding their flight
Those who fall into any of the above categories,
except returning overseas Filipino workers, are required to secure hotel
reservations for at least six days.
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Unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated children
traveling with their fully-vaccinated guardians must comply with the quarantine
protocols for the place they come from. A guardian shall accompany them in the
quarantine facility.
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| A negative test result must be presented before boarding to skip quarantine in Phl |
The green countries designated by the Philippines
until Oct 31 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 SAR
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
All individuals who are arriving from “yellow” or
“red” list countries must still stay in a quarantine facility. Romania is
classified as “red,” while all other countries, jurisdictions, and territories
not mentioned are classified as “yellow.”
Fully vaccinated individuals coming from yellow
countries need to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of a
negative result for a test done on the fifth day of their quarantine. They will
then be required to undergo home quarantine until the 10th day.
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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 in, regardless of vaccination status.
Individuals who transit through a red country will not
be considered as having come from that place if they stayed at the airport the
whole time and were not cleared for entry by its immigration authorities.
On arrival in the Philippines these passengers will
still have to comply with relevant testing protocols.
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.
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