MANDALUYONG CITY, -- “Kailangan patuloy parin ang ating pagtetest upang maihiwalay ang mga healthy individuals sa mga apektado ng COVID-19,” these were the words by PRC Chairman and CEO Sen. Richard Gordon as The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) relaxes its restriction by not requiring RT-PCR testing for interzonal travel for fully vaccinated persons.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that under IATF Resolution 124-B, interzonal travelers who are fully vaccinated individuals are now only required to present proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination instead of COVID-19 test results.

For interzonal travel allowed by the task force, a fully vaccinated individual, regardless of age, may now present the vaccination card instead of negative RT-PCR test result. A person is considered fully vaccinated after at least two weeks since receiving the second shot of a two-dose vaccine or the first of a single-dose brand.

PRC, the leading organization for COVID-19 testing, has now conducted 3,382,981 tests nationwide, making up 23% of the total tests done nationwide.

Gordon reiterated that even a fully vaccinated person is still a potential carrier of COVID-19, and there is a high possibility to infect the unvaccinated.

“To beat this virus, we need to test regularly, isolate and treat the affected individuals, and vaccinate, so that people can safely return to work, can now go back to school, and the faster we can open our economy,” Gordon added. (Philippine Red Cross)