A party-list lawmaker urged the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to consider shortening the quarantine period for fully vaccinated international travelers who have negative COVID-19 test results.
ACT-CIS Party-list Representative Rowena Taduran said the long quarantine in the hotel room for healthy passengers is a “burden financially, emotionally and mentally”.
Taduran said it also defeats the government’s effort to get the economy back on its feet.
“Ang mga nagbabalik-bayan ay kakarampot na lang ang dalang panggastos para sa kanilang quarantine.”
“Ang mga nagbabalik-bayan ay kakarampot na lang ang dalang panggastos para sa kanilang quarantine. Hindi lang hotel ang kanilang iniintindi kung hindi maging ang swab test, ang maghahatid sundo sa kanila sa quarantine at ang kanilang pagkain doon sa araw-araw (The returning overseas Filipinos do not have much money left to spend for their quarantine. They have to worry not just about hotel expenses, but also the swab testing, the transportation to and from the quarantine site, and their daily food),” the legislator said.
The lady lawmaker suggested that the current period of 10 to 14 days should be cut down to three days, during which the onset of symptoms of COVID-19 usually manifests.
“Kapag negative, dapat i-release na sila sa kanilang uuwian para mag-home quarantine. Walang dahilan para patagalin sila sa hotel ng hanggang 10 araw kung wala namang sintomas ng COVID at negatibo rin sa test (If [the result] is negative, they should release them for home quarantine. There is no reason to let them stay longer in the hotel for 10 days if they don’t show any symptoms of COVID-19 and the test result is negative),” she explained.
Taduran also believes that a shortened quarantine period in hotels will be economically beneficial for the country.
“A lot of Filipinos and former citizens of the country are eager to go back home especially this Christmas season.”
“A lot of Filipinos and former citizens of the country are eager to go back home especially this Christmas season. Their arrival would mean more dollars to spend and to help our businesses going,” she stressed.
Currently, the government enforces a 14-day quarantine for arriving passengers to the Philippines, 10 of which shall be observed at an accredited hotel or facility, and the remaining four to be completed at home under the monitoring of the local government unit.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier questioned the quarantine rule for arriving travelers in the country, citing costs associated with quarantine accommodations at hotels.
“If you can talk to the task force, is it really demanded of the moment, and is it really a compelling thing that you complete the 10-day detention?” Duterte said in his Talk to the People.
Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez said the agency is eyeing to further ease restrictions for travelers to help in the recovery of the aviation industry.
“I think right now, under our study, is to lessen the number of quarantine days for a person that will be put under quarantine, especially for the vaccinated people,” Lopez said in a virtual press briefing.
The trade chief said this proposal is being taken up at the technical level for consideration of the IATF-EID.
“The way we can help the sector, in general the travel sector, is to have some kind of reopening, easing the travel restriction as many people get vaccinated,” the trade head added.
He said reducing the number of days for quarantine will help to “resuscitate demand” for the travel sector.
“Apart from all the incentives they are all entitled to, fixing the demand is part of the equation,” Lopez concluded.
