DOH: Fully vaccinated returning Filipinos must still undergo quarantine, testing

Fully vaccinated Filipinos who will return to the Philippines from abroad will still need to undergo the standard quarantine and testing protocols against COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said this is because there is still "no sufficient evidence" that vaccines can block the transmission of the disease.

The DOH previously explained that vaccines can instead help prevent severe infection. 

“Hanggang hindi pa po kumpleto at hindi sufficient ang ebidensya (As long as there is incomplete and insufficient evidence) to finally conclude that these vaccines can really prevent one person from being infected and that person from infecting others, then we will retain our protocol,” she said in a briefing.

Under the current guidelines, incoming travelers must undergo facility-based quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines and take a COVID-19 test on their fifth day. 

Those who will test negative can complete their mandatory 14-day quarantine in their hometown under the strict monitoring of their local government.

The DOH has called on local authorities to ensure that incoming travelers complete their mandatory quarantine, especially amid the detection of new coronavirus variants. 

The Philippines has logged 936,133 COVID-19 cases with 779,084 recoveries and 15,960 deaths as of Sunday afternoon. — Julia Mari Ornedo/RSJ, GMA News