MANILA -- Inbound international travelers who were fully vaccinated in the Philippines, regardless of their travel history, and those fully vaccinated from other countries who stayed exclusively in “green” countries or jurisdictions 14 days prior to arrival in the country, will be able to enjoy a shorter quarantine period, effective July 1, 2021.

This after the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) finalized the guidelines on inbound international travel for fully vaccinated individuals in its meeting on June 28, 2021.

“Ano po ba ang green countries or jurisdictions? Ito iyong low-risk countries, ayon po sa Department of Health (DOH). … Maghahanda po ng listahan ang DOH, antayin na lang po natin yan,” said Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque Jr. in a press briefing on June 29, 2021.

The concurrent IATF spokesperson also explained that individuals are considered fully vaccinated two or more weeks after receiving the second dose of a two-dose vaccine or two or more weeks after receiving a single-dose type of vaccine.

Secretary Roque said the vaccines that were administered to the individual must also be under the Philippine Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorization list or issued with a Compassionate Special Permit, or included in the Emergency Use Listing of the World Health Organization.

To qualify for the shorter quarantine period upon arrival in the country, fully vaccinated individuals must carry with them proof of their vaccination status, said Sec. Roque. “Kung kayo ay fully vaccinated sa Pilipinas, kailangang dala ninyo ang inyong vaccination card na kinakailangang i-verify po ninyo bago kayo umalis ng Pilipinas,” Roque said.

The vaccination cards should be verified via a certification issued through the Certificate of Vaccination Record portal of the Department of Information and Communications Technology or by the City Health Officer of the local government unit that administered the full vaccination.

Sec. Roque added that for fully vaccinated individuals outside the Philippines, they must also carry with them an official document that can prove their vaccination status, which must be validated by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in their country of origin, or present an International Certificate of Vaccination, whichever is applicable.

The said documents must be presented to a Bureau of Quarantine representative for re-verification in the One-Stop Shop of the Department of Transportation upon arrival in the country.

“Ang tanong, kinakailangan pa bang mag-quarantine ng mga bakunado na? Ang sagot, oo po. Required pa ring sumailalim sa pitong araw na facility-based quarantine pagdating sa bansa whether fully vaccinated sa Pilipinas or abroad,” Sec. Roque said.

In terms of testing, RT-PCR test will be done on the fifth day of quarantine, said Roque. He added that if the traveler tested negative, the individual must still complete the seven-day facility quarantine, and if positive for COVID-19, the individual will have to follow the prescribed isolation protocols.

On another matter, Roque said that the IATF has extended the travel restrictions for India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, and Oman until July 15, 2021. “Isa itong pro-active measure sa patuloy na pagpapatupad ng international border control dahil sa COVID-19 Delta variant,” said Roque.

Meanwhile, Treatment Czar and DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega, in the same press briefing, reported that the Healthcare Utilization Rate (HCUR) nationwide is 46 percent, while the ICU utilization rate is 57 percent. For the National Capital Region, Usec. Vega said that HCUR is low risk at 37 percent, while ICU utilization rate is 42 percent. (OPS-PCOO)