THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved the uniform travel protocols for local government units, says Malacañang.
Under IATF Resolution No. 101, travelers need not undergo COVID-19 testing unless required by the local government units prior to travel. According to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, such testing will be limited to just RT-PCR or Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction.
Moreover, the IATF is also no longer requiring travelers to quarantine unless showing symptoms at the destination upon arrival.
“Authorities shall continue to strictly implement the minimum public health standards, such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, cough etiquette, and wearing of face masks and face shields across all settings,” Roque said.
“Clinical and exposure assessment shall be strictly implemented in all ports of entry and exit while health assessment of passengers, supervised by medical doctors, shall be mandatory upon entry in the port/terminal and exit at point of destination,” he added.
As such, the travel authority and health certificates will no longer be required.
Interestingly, authorized persons outside of residence (APOR) still have to present their ID, travel order and travel itinerary. They should also be able to pass symptom-screening upon entry and exit.
The IATF approved the uniform travel protocols on Friday, he added. The protocols were crafted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), in coordination with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), and the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP).
Passengers who are symptomatic should be transferred to quarantine isolation facilities, and from there, the Bureau of Quarantine will take over for airports, or local health officials for Local Government Units (LGUs).
Provincial buses should use the Integrated Terminal Exchange in Metro Manila as a terminal hub.
LGUs may also provide transportation for travelers transiting from one LGU to another “in cases of arrivals at air and seaports to their end-point destinations.”
“The DILG, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Transportation (DOTr), DOST (Department of Science and Technology) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), as well as the LGUs, shall ensure the smooth implementation of these protocols,” the Palace said.