FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a “Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine” sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu province will be adopting the new resolution from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) that eases travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers.
The Capitol, through its media arm Sugbo News, announced Monday night, July 5, that it is set to implement the guidelines by the IATF for arriving Filipinos from abroad who already completed their inoculation schedules.
The new protocols from the IATF will be carried out together with the province’s Swab-Upon-Arrival rule.
“This was agreed during a meeting today (Monday), July 5 between Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and stakeholders from the airport, health, and government sectors,” Sugbo News said in social media post.
“Fully vaccinated individuals who wish to return to the country will just undergo a seven-day facility-based quarantine upon arrival instead of 10 days, however, this rule only applies to passengers arriving from what the IATF calls as “green countries,” which are considered as low-risk areas for Covid-19 transmission,” it added.
According to IATF Resolution 124-B, an individual is only considered fully vaccinated two weeks after he received the second dose of the jab and if the vaccine administered is one of the vaccines given an emergency use authorization or a Compassionate Special Permit (CSP) by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration, or is among those on the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing.
New rules on interzonal travel also apply to fully vaccinated senior citizens.
IATF said the presentation of a COVID-19 domestic vaccination card signed by a legitimate vaccinating establishment, or certificate of quarantine completion showing the holder’s vaccination status issued by the Bureau of Quarantine shall be sufficient alternatives to any testing requirement (before travel or upon arrival) which the local government of destination may require.
All travelers, however, are still required to undergo health and exposure screening protocols upon arrival at their destinations. / with reports from INQUIRER.net
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