Senate President Vicente Sotto III called on the inter-agency task force against COVID-19 to remove the 14-day quarantine policy for those entering the country fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
In a statement, the senator questioned the quarantine and said those entering the country were allowed as long as health protocols against the virus were followed.
“Why do fully vaccinated people still have to do the two-week quarantine when traveling to the Philippines? It doesn’t make sense!” said Sotto.
He said the policy was meaningless and that the purpose of the government’s vaccination program – to open up the economy – was wasted.
He also said that investors who have already been vaccinated would not enter the country due to this IATF policy. Even Filipinos who are about to return to the country are definitely hesitant.
“Vaccinated investors won’t come because they have to quarantine, or even Filipinos who are vaccinated are having second thoughts,” said the senator.
Sotto opposes 2-week quarantine for fully vaccinated arrivals
The Department of Tourism had earlier submitted to the government its suggestion to shorten the quarantine period for returning Filipinos who have been fully vaccinated with COVID-19.
OFWs and balikbayans entering the country must remain in quarantine facilities for up to 10 days and undergo a swab test after one week.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it supports a proposal to allow fully vaccinated foreign nationals to enter the country as part of efforts to revive the country’s moribund tourism industry and reopen its borders.
In a statement, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said, the Bureau backs the setting up of a “green lane” for vaccinated aliens in the different ports to pave the way for the reopening of tourist destinations to leisure travelers, should the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) deem it viable.
“If approved by the IATF-MEID, we in the Bureau, support this initiative by the Department of Tourism (DOT) as it will not only resuscitate our tourism industry, it will also generate employment for millions of Filipinos who lost their jobs due to the pandemic,” Morente said.
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