New testing and quarantine protocols for all inbound travelers starting February 1

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on January 26, 2021 adopted the following testing and quarantine protocols, effective February 1, 2021, for all persons who shall be allowed entry to the Philippines.

Arriving passengers, regardless of their origin, shall be required to undergo facility-based quarantine upon arrival. They shall then undergo RT-PCR test on the fifth day from their date of arrival in the country, unless the passenger shows symptoms at an earlier date while on quarantine.

Once a passenger tested negative, the passenger shall be endorsed to the local government unit of destination where the passenger shall continue the remainder of the fourteen-day quarantine under the strict monitoring of the LGU.

Appropriate patient management shall be observed as outlined in the guidelines of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health Omnibus Guidelines on Prevention, Detection, Isolation, Treatment and Reintegration Strategies for COVID-19.

Here are the exact words from the IATF Resolution # 96:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, as it is hereby resolved, that the 1ATF approves the following:

A. The recommendations of the IATF Technical Working Group on COVID-19 New Variants arc adopted. Effective February I, 2021, the testing and quarantine protocols for all persons allowed entry in the Philippines shall be as follows:

1. Arriving passengers, regardless of origin, shall be required to undergo facility-based quarantine upon arrival;
2. Unless the passenger exhibits symptoms at an earlier date while on quarantine, Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test shall be conducted on the fifth day from date of arrival in the Philippines;
3. If the RT-PCR test yields a negative result, the passenger shall be endorsed to their local government units of destination who shall then coordinate transfer of said passenger from quarantine facility to the LGU and strictly monitor the remainder of the fourteen-day quarantine through their respective Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams: and
4. In all of the foregoing, appropriate patient management as outlined in the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases guidelines and the Department of Health Omnibus Interim Guidelines on Prevention, Detection. Isolation, Treatment and Reintegration Strategics for COVID-I9 shall still be observed.

All other testing and quarantine protocols not inconsistent hereto, including the exemptions therefrom, shall continue to be in force and effect.