A lawmaker is proposing that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and inbound international Filipino travelers who are already fully vaccinated against COVID-19 be exempted from the mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the country.
Ang Probinsyano Partylist Rep. Ronnie One on Tuesday said that a properly authenticated proof of vaccination should suffice to ease quarantine protocols for returning OFWs and other Filipinos arriving in the country “so that they can spend more time with their families and truly enjoy their stay in the country.”
Ong, however, clarified that the arriving fully vaccinated Filipinos can still be required to undergo RT-PCR swab test upon arrival and must fully inform authorities of their travel destination.
“People who have been vaccinated should no longer pose any public health hazard to the general population and should be given some leeway on existing quarantine protocols for inbound OFWs and returning Filipino travelers,” Ong said in a statement.
The Department of Health (DOH), however, earlier said that there was no sufficient evidence just yet that people inoculated with existing vaccines can no longer infect others.
Gatchalian joins other senators calling for zero quarantine for fully vaccinated individuals
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian joined the call of his colleagues in the Senate to remove the mandatory quarantine for Filipino and foreign travelers who are fully vaccinated, saying it would help boost the country’s economy.
“Other countries are reaching herd immunity. In order to stimulate our local economy, especially tourism, we should ease up restrictions on tourists – both Filipino tourists and foreign tourists,” Gatchalian told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Tuesday.
“At the most, we can implement (RT-PCR) tests but the quarantine, I think we can already do away with that because they are fully vaccinated anyway,” he added.
Meanwhile, Hans Leo J. Cacdac posted this in his Twitter account
Dear OFWs fully-vaccinated abroad: At the IATF technical level, we vow to push for a special quarantine protocol for your good selves.
— hans leo j. cacdac (@HansLeoCacdac) June 14, 2021
