France under PH red list amid Omicron variant threat

By THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunStar

THE Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases has included France in the list of countries under red list amid the threat of the Omicron variant of Sars-CoV-2, which causes the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Malacañang said on Wednesday, December 8, 2021.

Resolution 152-A issued by the IATF on December 7 stated that travelers from France, or those who have been in the territory over the past 14 days prior to arrival in the Philippines will not be allowed entry in the country from December 13 until December 15.

Passengers who have been to France within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines and who arrive on or after 12:01 a.m. of December 10, but before 12:01 a.m. of December 13 will still be allowed entry but they are required to undergo 14-day mandatory facility-based quarantine with a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on the seventh day, with day one being the date of their arrival.

Travelers with negative RT-PCR results are still required to complete the 14-day facility-based quarantine.

Travelers who merely transited France and did not go out from the airport are not covered by the ban but are still required to undergo quarantine protocols.

Only Filipinos returning to the country from countries under red list via government-initiated or non-government-initiated repatriations and Bayanihan Flights may be allowed entry, subject to existing testing and quarantine protocols for red list countries/territories/jurisdictions.

France joined Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique among the countries under red-list or with travel restrictions in the Philippines due to the Omicron variant.

The highly mutated Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) was first detected in Botswana, then in South Africa.

For all international inbound travel, testing and quarantine protocols also cover minors, regardless of their vaccination status.

PH places 44 countries in green list, 2 in red

By THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO, SunStar Manila

THE Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has placed at least 44 countries in the world under the “Green” list category, while two others have remained under “Red” list for November 16 to 30, 2021.

Green has been used for countries that are low risk to coronavirus disease (Covid-19), while Red is for those classified as high risk. Yellow means moderate risk.

Included in the Green list are American Samoa, Bhutan, Chad, China (Mainland), Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Federated States of Micronesia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of China), India, Indonesia, Japan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, South Africa, Sudan, Taiwan, Togo, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Faroe Islands and The Netherlands are the two areas that are currently in the Red list, while the rest of the countries, territories, and jurisdictions not mentioned are under Yellow list.

Fully-vaccinated travelers entering the Philippines from areas under the green list no longer need to undergo a facility-based quarantine upon their arrival provided that they yield negative RT-PCR test results taken within 72 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.

They also have the option to undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test result taken in the quarantine facility upon arrival in the country or not to undergo quarantine, so long as they get a negative RT-PCR test result within 72 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.

Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals, as well as those with unverified vaccination status and those who failed to comply with the “test-before-travel requirements” need to undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test taken on their fifth day in the country.

or fully-vaccinated passengers departing from countries under Yellow list, they need to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of their negative RT-PCR test result taken on their fifth day in the Philippines.

Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated will have to undergo RT-PCR testing on the seventh day of a facility-based quarantine.

Inbound passengers from Red countries will be denied entry in the Philippines if they stayed there 14 days prior to their arrival to the Philippines unless they were Filipino citizens who will be subject to testing and quarantine protocols.

Returning Filipinos are required to spend their first 10 days in a quarantine facility and the last four days at home. They also have to undergo RT-PCR testing on their seventh day.

Travelers transiting through the countries under Red list with proof they only stayed in the airport will not be considered as coming from a red country.

Meanwhile, the IATF also approved to honor the national Covid-19 vaccination certificates of individuals from Australia, Czech Republic, Georgia, India, Japan, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Turkey, and Samoa as recommended by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

“The said recommendation is in addition to such other countries/territories/jurisdictions whose proofs of vaccination the IATF already approved for recognition in the Philippines, and without prejudice to such other proofs of vaccination approved by IATF for all inbound travelers,” said Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

“Accordingly, the Bureau of Quarantine, the Department of Transportation-One-Stop-Shop, and the Bureau of Immigration are directed to recognize only the proofs of vaccination thus approved by the IATF,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)