Filipinos who return to the Philippines do not have to undergo swab test and quarantine if they come from countries with low or moderate COVID-19 cases and if they do not have the disease symptoms.
This is stated in the new guidelines issued by the Department of Health (DOH), Lei Alvis reported in GMA News “24 Oras” on Monday.
The new rule will also apply to foreigners who are allowed to enter the Philippines.
However, the DOH clarified that if the province to which they return will require that they still take a swab test, they should comply.
According to Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, DOH spokesperson, even before the Filipino travelers leave, they are also being subjected to the test of their country of origin.
No more swab test for Filipinos, foreigners from countries with low COVID-19 cases
But Filipinos who come from countries with high COVID-19 cases must undergo a swab test even if they are asymptomatic or have no symptoms of the disease.
They should also be subjected to quarantine and may only be allowed to return home when tested negative for the RT-PCR test to be conducted on the fifth day.
Foreign tourists who come from countries with high COVID-19 cases will no longer be allowed to enter the Philippines.
Those who come from countries with low and moderate numbers of virus cases can go to the Philippines. But it is necessary to find out if they have symptoms of the disease, and it is still possible for them to undergo the COVID-19 test depending on the country of origin.
So far, it is not clear which countries have low or moderate COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said over the weekend that the government is still reviewing the policy on the restrictions on foreign travelers’ entry in the Philippines.
“Pinag-aaralan doon sa inbound (The inbound travel is under study). Like I said, one step at a time,” Nograles said during a forum on Facebook Saturday night.
Nograles added that the “government recognizes that there are foreign citizens abroad who want to spend the holidays with their loved ones and fiancées here in the Philippines.”