Entry of fully vaxxed tourists from 'green' countries approved in principle —DOT

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has approved in principle the entry of tourists who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 from countries under the "green list" pending guidelines, the Department of Tourism said Friday.

DOT Secretary Berna Romulo Puyat said only fully vaccinated individuals inoculated with vaccines granted an emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration or those authorized by the World Health Organization will be allowed entry.

"Allowing tourists from green countries or territories that have the majority of its population vaccinated and with low infection rate, will greatly help in our recovery efforts,” she said in a statement.

"This move will likewise aid in bolstering consumer confidence, which is a large contributor to our gross domestic product or GDP growth," she added.

In a briefing in Malacañang, acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said the government has allowed the entry of fully vaccinated foreigners who tested negative for COVID-19 using an RT-PCR test within 72 hours prior to arrival provided that they come from countries on the green list.

Nograles said this is provided under IATF Resolution 149-A, which also states that fully vaccinated foreign inbound travelers who tested negative for COVID-19 in an RT-PCR test 72 hours prior arrival will not be required to undergo an RT-PCR test upon arrival in the Philippines.

"We are confident to open our shores as long as they are from green countries which have high COVID-19 vaccination rate," Nograles said.

However, no date yet has been set on when the country will open its borders again to foreign tourists.

"We are calibrating steps in reopening our economy since tourism is a huge part of our growth," Nograles said. 

Green list nations and jurisdictions are classified as "low risk" based on COVID-19 incidence rate and case count.

[READ: List of countries under green list as of Nov. 12, 2021]

Puyat said the Special Technical Working Group on Travel has been tasked to come up with the guidelines.

The Tourism Secretary said she believes that it is time for the country to open its borders.

“Our ASEAN neighbors like Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia also did the same. We believe that it is also time for us to reopen our borders for inbound tourism as a way towards full recovery,” she said.

The Philippines on Thursday logged 1,297 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 2,821,753.

Meanwhile, Puyat said the DOT will also work on creating “vaccinated travel lanes or bubbles” for tourists from countries under the yellow list, or those tagged as moderate risk based on COVID-19 incidence rate and case count. --with Llanesca T. Panti/KBK, GMA News