The Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) said Friday it supports the call to reduce the quarantine period for fully vaccinated overseas travelers from ten days to five days.
“We note with interest the easing of international travel restrictions in many countries, from reduction of quarantine periods to no quarantine at all, as in the United States, for the fully vaccinated,” said MAP President Aurelio Montinola III.
“We therefore support a similar move to assist balikbayan visitors and international tourists by reducing arriving international passenger quarantine period to 5 days.”
In a meeting among the airlines, the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19, a proposal was made for a new protocol on international flights where passengers will be tested 72 hours before the flight, undergo quarantine upon arrival, and take an RT-PCR test on the third day.
Passengers who test negative will be allowed to go home after the fifth day and complete their quarantine at home.
Commenting on the presentation, Montinola noted: “The data presented showed that international arrivals have not contributed significantly to infection rate surges. Average positivity rate was below 0.5% in the last quarter.”
The presentation further showed that positivity rate among unvaccinated arriving passengers was more than three times that of vaccinated arrivals.
Also, there was little to be gained by quarantining fully vaccinated travelers beyond five days, as the probability of post-quarantine transmission was almost zero by the fifth day if the traveler had tested negative before and after flying, the MAP said.
“By testing travelers prior to the flight, you significantly reduce the probability of allowing infected travelers to board, while testing on the third day after arrival should catch any potential infections since the pre-flight test,” added Montinola.
“Similarly, for domestic travelers, we suggest no longer requiring the expensive RT-PCR tests, provided they are fully vaccinated and observing health protocols. Statistics show tourism as one of the hardest hit sectors with an 80 percent drop in revenues,” he said.
“Making it less painful for travelers to come to the country, and mobility incentives within the country for the fully vaccinated, will give our beleaguered hospitality, tourism and transport sectors a much-needed boost,” the MAP chief said.