The Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Party-list urged the delegates to the 2021 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam to quarantine when they get back to the Philippines to limit exposure to the coronavirus.
PBA Party-list spokesperson Atty. Migs Nograles issued the call after the Philippine College of Physicians asked the government to bring back mandatory quarantine for travelers arriving in the country to ensure proper surveillance.
The Philippine delegation is composed of 646 athletes, 296 team officials, and 45 national Olympic committee delegates. Team Philippines will fly to Hanoi in batches, with most of the delegates departing on May 10.
“Considering that the Omicron subvariant has already been detected in the country plus the fact that the organizers of the SEA Games are not requiring the participants to present proofs of vaccination against COVID-19, it would be prudent for the members of Team Philippines to quarantine when they get back from the Games and get an RT-PCR test to ensure they are COVID-free,” she said.
“Nakakatakot kasi mismong Department of Health na ang nagsabi last week na the BA.2.12 subvariant is 2.5 times more transmissible than the original variant, kaya for precaution’s sake sana ay mag-quarantine muna ang delegates natin pagbalik nila kahit pa fully vaccinated na sila,” she added.
The Omicron BA.2.12 subvariant is currently driving a fresh surge of infections in the United States.
The Philippine government lifted quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated foreign tourists and travelers from visa-free countries entering the country starting February 10 this year. However, travelers are still required to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours or a negative antigen test is done within 24 hours from departure from their country of origin.
Before the restrictions were lifted, arriving foreign travelers had to undergo facility-based quarantine and retake a swab test on the fifth day. They were still required to undergo home quarantine for 14 days from the date of arrival even if the test result was a negative result.
COVID-19 cases peaked in Vietnam in mid-March this year, with 424,729 new cases detected on March 19. The host country is adopting a unique set of health and safety protocols for the SEA Games, including the athletes’ non-presentation of vaccination certificates as well as allowing athletes and coaches to enter restaurants, shopping malls, and parks in their respective area clusters.
The Philippine delegation is composed of 646 athletes, 296 team officials, and 45 national Olympic committee delegates. Team Philippines will fly to Hanoi in batches, with most of the delegates departing on May 10.
