(Eagle News) – Malacanang said that Portugal will be added to the Philippines’ “Red List” of countries and territories effective Sunday, December 12, as more European countries are affected by the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The inclusion of Portugal to the Philippines’ Red List came shortly after France was also included in the list.
The countries now included in the Philippines’ Red List are South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy and France. On Sunday, December 12, Portugal will be added to the list.
This was announced by Cabinet Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Karlo Nograles on Friday, December 10, in a press briefing.
He said that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved Resolution No. 153 on Thursday, which provides for the escalation of Portugal to the “Red list” of countries/territories/jurisdictions effective 12:01 a.m. of December 12.
Nograles explained that passengers who have been to Portugal within 14 days immediately preceding arrival in the Philippines––and who arrive on or after 12:01AM of December 12, 2021––shall be required to undergo the testing and quarantine protocols applicable to the Red List of countries, territories, and jurisdictions.
“Simula 12:01A.M. ng December 15, 2021, hindi na papayagan ang pagpasok sa Pilipinas ng mga pasaherong galing o nanggaling sa Portugal sa loob ng labing-apat na araw bago ang pagdating nila sa Pilipinas, anuman ang kanilang vaccination status,” said Nograles who is also the concurrent ITAF spokesperson.
Only returning Filipinos via government-initiated repatriation, non-government-initiated repatriation, or Bayanihan Flights will be allowed to enter the country from Portugal beginning 12:01AM of December 15.
Passengers from Portugal who arrived in the Philippines before December 12 who are currently undergoing quarantine will be required to complete the existing testing and quarantine protocols when they arrived in the country.
Meanwhile, fully vaccinated returning overseas Filipinos from the red-listed countries are only allowed to enter the country via government-initiated repatriation, non-government initiated repatriation, and Bayanihan flights, but they should present a negative-RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.
Fully vaccinated individuals from red-listed countries are also required to undergo facility-based quarantine, with an RT-PCR test to be taken on the seventh day.
They could be released only if they will have a negative RT-PCR test result.
“They shall, however, be required to observe home quarantine until the 14th day from their arrival,” a Palace release said.
“We urge those required to observe home quarantine to do so. As we have stressed the past few weeks, there may be a drop in new cases but we cannot be complacent. Alang-alang sa inyong mga mahal sa buhay, paki-observe lang po ito,” Nograles said.
-Protocols for unvaccinated, partially vaccinated travelers and minors-
“On the other hand, the unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, and those whose vaccination status cannot be independently validated, need to present a negative RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to departure from country of origin,” Malacanang said.
They will still undergo a mandatory 10-day facility-based quarantine even if they present a negative result of RT-PCR tests taken on the seventh day. They shall then undergo home quarantine until the 14th day from arrival.
For minors, testing and quarantine protocols shall follow the protocols for parents or guardians who traveled with them. But children three years old and below, regardless of country of origin, shall not be required to present a negative RT-PCR test result before boarding, unless they show symptoms.
Passengers who merely transited in Red List countries, territories, and jurisdictions shall not be considered as coming from said areas if they only stayed in the airport and were not cleared for entry by immigration authorities of the said countries, territories, and jurisdictions, the Palace said.
“Sa lahat ng mga galing sa Red List na sumailalim sa facility-based quarantine sa petsa ng pagpapatupad ng Resolution na ito, you may retroactively avail of the approved testing and quarantine protocols. Kabilang po rito ang France na kung matatandaan po natin ay naisama na natin sa Red List effective kaninang 12:01AM base sa IATF Resolution No. 152-A,” said Nograles.
The Omicron variant, first detected in southern Africa two weeks ago, has now been detected in dozens of countries.
-Rising Omicron cases in Europe-
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Tuesday counted a total 274 Omicron cases across the EU and in its associated European Economic Area (EEA) neighbours Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
The biggest number of cases in the EEA were in Denmark with 73, Portugal with 34, France on 25, the Netherlands with 24, and 19 in Norway.
Some of those countries — Denmark and Norway in particular — announced even higher parallel tallies based on different Covid variant detection techniques.
Given Omicron’s exponential rise, the ECDC has said it expects the variant to become dominant in Europe within months.
While questions about Omicron’s severity and ability to escape immunity cannot be answered for a couple more weeks, initial data confirm its high transmissibility.
Britain, for instance, on Tuesday reported it now has 437 cases — the biggest number recorded by any European country.
Britain, however, is not yet included in the Philippines’ Red List.
(Eagle News Service with a report from Agence France Presse)