Philippine Quarantine Rules Under Fire

The Philippines' strict regimen on entry for travelers has gained scrutiny with a reminder from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) calling on states to follow new guidance on travel from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The guidance recommends a “risk-based approach” to implementing measures related to COVID-19 and international travel. and is set to be presented today, July 15, to the WHO COVID-19 International Health Regulations Emergency Committee.

The Philippines' Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases had earlier eased the quarantine rules from what it deemed as green countries to having travelers entering the country to quarantine for seven days, from the earlier rule of 10 days.

The quarantine protocol also includes even those vaccinated and which has raised a howl of protests from Filipinos who wanted to spend a vacation with their families. The quarantine rules, where they fork anywhere from P4,000 to P10,000 a day for their stay in accredited hotels, had been deemed as cash draining for the Filipinos returning as balikbayans.

Specifically, WHO recommended that governments do not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination as a mandatory condition for entry or exit, remove measures such as testing and/or quarantine requirements for travelers who are fully vaccinated or have had a confirmed previous COVID-19 infection within the past six months, and to ensure alternative pathways for unvaccinated individuals through testing so that they are able to travel internationally. The WHO recommends rRT-PCR tests or antigen detection rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) for this purpose.

Lastly, the IATA recommended to only implement testing and/or quarantine measures for international travelers “on a risk-based manner” with policies on testing and quarantine regularly reviewed to ensure they are lifted when no longer necessary.

“These commonsense, risk-based recommendations from WHO, if followed by states, will allow for international air travel to resume while minimizing the chance of importing COVID-19.

As WHO notes—and as the latest UK testing data proves—international travelers are not a high-risk group in terms of COVID-19. Out of 1.65 million tests carried out on arriving international passengers in the UK since February, only 1.4% were positive for COVID-19. It’s long past time for governments to incorporate data into risk-based decision-making process for re-opening borders,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director-General. WHO also called on states to communicate “in a timely and adequate manner” any changes to international health-related measures and requirements.

“Consumers face a maze of confusing, uncoordinated, and fast-changing border entry rules that discourage them from traveling, causing economic hardship across those employed in the travel and tourism sector. According to our latest passenger survey, 70% of recent travelers thought the rules were a challenge to understand,” said Walsh.

WEEKLY FEATURE : PAL READY TO SOAR WITH PANDEMIC