Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa hinted at the possibility of home isolation for travelers entering the Philippines once the COVID-19 public health emergency warning is lifted.
“Even if we remove the country from a state of emergency, COVID is still very much here. You should still isolate yourself if you are coming from another country as other variants of the disease are more rampant and have developed there. It’s a minimum public health measure,” Herbosa, in an interview with Super Radyo DZBB, said.
Herbosa also said home isolation for individuals who are going to enter the country also addresses the issue of pricey isolation facilities. “To avoid an outbreak, travelers with symptoms really need to undergo isolation,” he added.
The official said isolation of visitors to the Philippines may mean a stay in a hotel isolation facility for a few days.
Currently, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) still implements protocols for visitors.
Fully vaccinated passengers are required to submit proof of their vaccination, while unvaccinated individuals are asked to present a negative laboratory-based Rapid Antigen Test taken 24 hours before their departure from their country of origin.
Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 are being required to complete a facility-based quarantine in the country. Likewise, children aged below 15 are required to follow the guidelines implemented by their parents and guardians.
The Health Secretary also mentioned that he had written to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recommending that the public health emergency of COVID-19 be lifted after it was recommended to him by Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
“I wrote to the President, recommending that the emergency tag be lifted in the country based on the parameters set by the rest of the world after we saw that cases lowered in the past several weeks,” he said.
Herbosa also remarked that COVID-19 now remains a manageable respiratory illness, unlike its early 2020 variants which were more dangerous and fatal.
He also added that promulgation is immaterial as the majority of Filipinos have already resumed activities in the new and better normal, majority of which no longer wear facemasks.
“We still recommend our citizens, especially the vulnerable, to wear masks and to be careful once they feel the symptoms, but it’s more of an educational promotion for them to stay health,” the official said.
More than 79 million Filipinos have now received their complete primary doses of vaccine against COVID-19, but 6,631 cases are still active according to the DOH.