Quarantine requirements for travelers eased

An inter-agency task force has cut the quarantine period for inbound travelers from countries with low to medium coronavirus infections.

Fully vaccinated travelers need only to undergo a five-day quarantine at a facility and five more days in their homes, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Friday.

The requirements for unvaccinated people are higher at seven days at a facility and seven days at home, he added.

Foreign passengers must pre-book their own accommodations for a quarantine period of at least six days for the fully vaccinated, and at least eight days for unvaccinated ones.

The old requirement was a 10 to 14 days of quarantine inside a quarantine facility.

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said this was an “encouraging development for the country’s tourism industry.”

It would make travel more appealing to tourists, she said in a statement. “The faster we are able to adjust to this situation, the faster we can bounce back better and regain our position in the global tourism market.” — Bianca Angelica D. Añago