Palace adviser says relaxation of travel restrictions aligns with ‘endemic mindset’

FILE A security guard holding a placard reminding people of social distancing walks past Philippine overseas workers who were quarantined for weeks after returning home as they wait for flights back to their home cities around the country, at Manila’s international airport o. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — The government’s move to relax restrictions for fully vaccinated inbound travelers aligns with the proposal to adopt an “endemic mindset” on the COVID-19 pandemic, presidential adviser for entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said Friday.

According to Concepcion, the change in quarantine protocols for fully vaccinated travelers will help the country sustain the economic growth in the last quarter of 2021.

“This aligns with the proposal to adopt a change from a pandemic to an endemic mindset,” he said in a statement.

Fully vaccinated international arriving passengers and returning Filipinos will no longer be required to undergo facility-based quarantine upon arrival starting February 1, according to Malacañang. This comes as the government suspends the “green,” “yellow,” and “red” classification of countries and territories.

Fully vaccinated tourists from non-visa-required countries will also be allowed to enter the Philippines starting February 10, subject to certain conditions.

Concepcion said the move will help revive the country’s tourism sector.

“We can now welcome both leisure and business travelers, and this will redound to benefits downstream for our MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises),” he said.

Concepcion and OCTA Research fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco earlier asked the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of the Emerging Infectious Diseases to begin mapping out the country’s “exit plan” from the pandemic and to ease international travel restrictions.

EDV