8 countries, territories on COVID-19 red list from Dec. 16 to 31 — Palace

Malacañang announced on Wednesday that the Philippines' COVID-19 task force has placed eight countries and territories on the red list effective December 16 until the end of the year.

These include Andorra, France, Monaco, Northern Mariana Islands, Réunion, San Marino, South Africa, and Switzerland.

South Africa has been on the red list or high risk areas for COVID-19 transmission since November 26 while France was included on December 10. 

Likewise, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has placed all areas with local transmission of the Omicron variant on the yellow list for the rest of December. 

Travelers from red list countries will not be allowed to enter the Philippines unless they are on repatriation flights for Filipinos, according to IATF Resolution 154-C passed on Tuesday. 

Filipinos traveling from red list countries who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 must present a negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.

They will be placed under facility-based quarantine upon arrival, with an RT-PCR test scheduled for the seventh day. If the test result is negative, the person can finish the remaining 14 days of quarantine at home. — VBL, GMA News