Sen. Richard Gordon. Screen grab / Senate PRIB / file photo
MANILA, Philippines—Senator Richard Gordon is proposing that all Filipinos arriving in the Philippines, whether they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 here or abroad, to be sent directly for home quarantine for seven days.
And while at home quarantine, they should be tested for COVID-19 by RT-PCR on the fifth to seventh day, Gordon, who is also chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said in his letter to vaccine czar Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr.
“The passenger will only be allowed to interact with other people in their household and community once a negative test has been secured, and that strict observance of safety protocols, such as wearing of face masks, frequent handwashing and social distancing, must still be practiced during and after the quarantine period,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
At present, travelers arriving from abroad are required to undergo a 10-day quarantine in a facility and another four days in their destination.
The government, however, later allowed all arriving Filipinos, who have been fully vaccinated here in the Philippines, to stay in quarantine for seven days only. They would only be required to take a swab test if they show COVID-19 symptoms.
Gordon stressed that requiring overseas Filipino workers to undergo the 14-day quarantine “will cause a drain on their resources and take away from the time they are planning to spend with their families from whom they have already been separated for years.”
“I, therefore, urge you to consider the above recommendation in order to help alleviate the financial and emotional expense to our people during these trying times,” the statement quoted Gordon saying in his letter to Galvez.
Gordon also suggested that once fully vaccinated foreign tourists and businessmen are allowed to enter the country, “they must be required to submit negative RT-PCR test results taken 48 hours prior to their flight and then undergo five (5) days of hotel quarantine upon arrival.”
“They must be tested for COVID-19 on the third or fifth day of their isolation and they may be released immediately upon receipt of negative results,” he said.
The senator noted that his proposal “is still stricter than what is being practiced in other countries like the United States.
In the US, Gordon said, fully vaccinated air travelers are required to have a negative SARS-CoV-2 viral test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a flight to the US, and simply recommends international travelers to get a SARS-CoV-2 viral test three to five days after travel regardless of vaccination status.
Fully vaccinated travelers are also not required to self-quarantine in the U.S. following international travel, he pointed out.