THE Bureau of Bureau of Quarantine Davao Office has said it would abide by the newly approved resolution of the The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases that requires foreign travelers and Filipinos from foreign countries to present valid proof of vaccination status upon entering the country.
Dr. Noreen Espero, head of the office, said international travelers will be required to register with the One Health Pass and present proof of full vaccination status which is required under IATF-MED Resolution 168 which it approved late last month.
Espero said that the resolution also eliminated the need to provide a negative reverse transmission-polymerase chain reaction test before their departure from their countries of origin.
“Ang bago dito, before kasi there were three requirements: One Health Pass, proof of vaccination and negative RT-PCR, but now hindi na siya kailangan provided that the traveler is fully vaccinated,” she added.
Vaccinated individuals may present an electronic copy of their “VaxCertPH, World Health Organization International Certification of Vaccination (ICV) and Prophylaxis, National or State manual/ digital vaccination certificate of the country/foreign government, and other proof of vaccination permitted by the IATF” as proof of their vaccination status.
But Espero said Filipinos who are not fully vaccinated or whose vaccination status cannot be validated will still need to present a negative RT-PCR test result.
They shall also be subjected to a facility-based quarantine period and may only be released after a negative result from the RT-PCR test conducted on the fifth day of arrival.
However, foreign nationals with the same vaccination status will not be allowed entry and will be deported.
Unvaccinated children, aged 12 and below, will follow the entry and quarantine protocols enforced on their parents or travel companions.
In any case, travelers who are detected to manifest Covid symptoms by the BOQ will be isolated and undergo a period of facility-based quarantine. Dr. Espero said, “We don’t know if this will change anytime soon but currently, wala pang swabbing sa mga airports.”
With this, the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) is urging Filipinos to register online on the One Health Pass website and apply for a VaxCertPh.
