COVID-19

Fully vaccinated foreigners from non-visa countries can enter PH from December 1 to 15

Mara Cepeda

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Fully vaccinated foreigners from non-visa countries can enter PH from December 1 to 15

ARRIVALS. In this file photo, travelers arrive at the NAIA Terminal 1 in Pasay City on October 14, 2021.

Rappler

Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles says the government will take it 'step by step' and later see if they can extend the travel period

Foreigners fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and who will be coming from the so-called “green” countries where a Philippine visa is not required will be allowed to enter the country from December 1 to 15. 

Acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlos Nograles said in a press briefing on Friday, November 26, that Executive Order No. 408, Series of 1960 was amended to allow qualified foreigners from “green” countries, territories, and jurisdictions to enter the Philippines for two weeks in December.

Nograles said foreigners who wish to avail of the travel period from December 1 to 15 must meet these other conditions set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF): 

  • Holder of passport valid for at least six months at the time of arrival
  • With a return or outbound ticket to the country of origin or next country of destination
  • Should have exclusively stayed in a green list country, territory, or jurisdiction for 14 days prior to arrival to the Philippines
  • Must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination from either the World Health Organization, VaxCertPH, or a national state digital certificate of the foreign government that has accepted VaxCertPH under a reciprocal arrangement unless otherwise permitted by the IATF
Fully vaccinated foreigners from non-visa countries can enter PH from December 1 to 15

Nograles said the foreigners will be required to present negative RT-PCR test results taken within 72 hours before their departure from country of origin.

They will no longer be required to undergo quarantine nor an on-arrival RT-PCR test, but the foreigners are “enjoined” to self-monitor for any symptoms for 14 days. 

The same testing and quarantine protocols will apply to minors traveling with their parents, regardless of the minors’ vaccination status and country of origin.

Meanwhile, foreigners who have been vaccinated but failed to comply with the testing requirement will be governed by protocols for unvaccinated individuals coming from green list countries. 

This means they will still be required to undergo facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day. They will also be required to self-monitor for 14 days. 

But why only until December 15? Nograles said the Philippine government is taking this “step by step.”

“We will make proper adjustments kung kinakailangan (if needed) while we are monitoring its implementation on the ground, and if we will extend it, we will extend it,” said Nograles.

There are currently 44 countries, territories, and jurisdictions in the Philippines’ “green” list. They are as follows:

  • 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
  • Zimbabwe

– Rappler.com

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Mara Cepeda

Mara Cepeda specializes in stories about politics and local governance. She covers the Office of the Vice President, the Senate, and the Philippine opposition. She is a 2021 fellow of the Asia Journalism Fellowship and the Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship of the UN. Got tips? Email her at mara.cepeda@rappler.com or tweet @maracepeda.